Taking Chances, The Re-Write
by Mrs Carmichael
Summary: "The name's Carmichael, Sam Carmichael," "I'm Jane. Adler, and it's very nice to meet you," Jane Adler has never been one for taking chances but will all that change upon meeting a handsome stranger in the bar of the Park Regent Hotel?
1. The Handsome Stranger

**AUTHORS NOTE:**

 **Well** , **this is a bit of a blast from the past, isn't it?**

 **First of all, I apologise for not responding to anyone who wanted to read the original fic over on LiveJournal. The reason I didn't respond is because it hasn't been on there since the early-2013, because I've been working on this rewrite and now, I've finally decided it's time to put this out here.**

 **Let me know what you think guys ;)**

 **xo**

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 **DISCLAIMER: I do not lay claim to any of the main characters used in this piece, they are the property of Nancy Meyers (It's Complicated) and Catherine Johnson (Mamma Mia). This fic is purely written for my own enjoyment (and hopefully others) and also, to feed my** **own habit of playing with things that don't belong to me ;)**

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 **Taking Chances: The Re-Write**

 **Summary: Jane Adler had never been an impulsive person but one night in New York with a handsome stranger changed that. Will she come to regret her act of spontaneity or will it become one of the best things she's ever done?**

 **Chapter One: The Handsome Stranger**

New York City is the serendipity capital of the world. Many people, visitors and residents alike, had met with complete strangers and gone on to build unforgettable partnerships as a result of their encounters. These chance meetings always seemed to happen at the most unexpected moments, adding to the magic of a stay in the city. Jane Adler had heard stories about these so-called 'happy accidents' occurring but neither believed them, nor did she think that she would ever have the guts to pursue the opportunity, if it was ever to arise. Just one night in New York was all it would take to change her thoughts on that particular notion…

Jane was in the city for her youngest child, Luke's, college graduation ceremony; she had flown across the country with her two daughters, Lauren and Gabby and Lauren's fiancé, Harley, for the momentous day. They had all checked into the Park Regent that afternoon and Luke had met them outside the hotel. Jane had made reservations for the five of them at the restaurant for dinner but was left deflated when they politely turned her down, preferring a graduation party at their brother's apartment over their mother's company that night. She was disappointed to say the least but she let them go, they were grown-ups in their own right after all, she conceded. They'd be spending the whole of the next day together though, so she consoled herself with that. Nonetheless, Jane had decided she wasn't going to allow that little set-back to spoil her evening. Her time in New York was limited after all, and it seemed silly to shy away from spending a night out in the city just because she was on her own. She couldn't have predicted that soon enough, she'd have company…

Once Jane arrived at the restaurant, she was told by the host that her table for dinner was almost ready for her and was directed to the bar where she could wait in the mean-time. Jane knew that her ex-husband, Jake, had booked one of the expensive suites in the hotel for himself and his second wife, Agness, for their stay in the city. Jane hadn't seen his name on the restaurant reservations list and she breathed a sigh of relief as she sat herself down upon one of the bar-stools. She wasn't hugely keen on being around her ex-husband that evening. She had moved on from their divorce but even now, it was still difficult for her to be in the same room as Jake and Agness and not feel a sense of animosity towards the couple, particularly Agness, for bringing about the end of their twenty-year marriage. However, Jane knew that she couldn't blame her entirely for the collapse of their marriage. Jake was to blame too and, to a certain extent, she even blamed herself. Jane ordered her favourite tipple from the bar, a Tanqueray Martini, very dry, with a twist and was about to lift the glass to her lips when she felt something, as though someone was looking her way. Her first thought was that Jake was actually here in the bar but that thought was quickly dismissed, she didn't want any thoughts of him to spoil her evening. There was only one way to find out exactly who it was; Jane's head turned in the direction of her mystery admirer and their gazes locked. Instantaneously, her heart began to pound against her rib-cage and she was frozen to the spot. It was a completely unknown and almost foreign feeling that swept over her as she continued to stare, almost gormlessly, at this handsome stranger who seemed in no hurry to break the searing gaze they shared. Jane hadn't felt anything like this in so long and was unsure how to interpret her body's reaction to this intense moment. Her train of thought was abruptly brought to a halt however when he broke their gaze, Jane sighed to herself and turned her attention back to the martini in front of her. She quickly downed the contents of her glass as though it were tap water instead of anything more potent. "Can I get you a re-fill?" a male voice murmured from behind her.

Jane turned to face him and smiled, it was the same guy who had caught her gaze barely moments beforehand. He had clearly broken their gaze so that he could approach her, "thank you very much," she replied to the handsome stranger, "but you really don't have to."

He pulled out a free bar stool and perched himself down beside her, "if I want to buy a beautiful lady a drink, then I will do just that," he told her.

Jane smiled appreciatively at him, she was touched by his generosity and she didn't have the heart to refuse him; He smiled back and silence descended between the two of them. He signalled to the barman and her glass was quickly re-filled before being placed back on the bar-top. Jane smiled and thanked the barman before he bustled off to serve a couple of younger women at the opposite end of the bar. "You know what?" she said, pausing before continuing, "I don't even know your name," she finished, feeling slightly embarrassed by her actions in accepting the offer of a drink from a complete stranger and yet, she couldn't put a name to the very handsome face.

"The name's Carmichael, Sam Carmichael," he told her, smiling warmly as he spoke.

There was something about him, Jane realised, that she rather liked, she felt inexplicably drawn to him in a way that she really couldn't describe. She'd barely known the guy ten minutes and she had no idea how it was possible for her to feel so drawn to someone so quickly, it just amazed her. "I'm Jane. Adler," she told him, having realised that she hadn't yet introduced herself either, "and it's very nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Sam said as her gingerly rested his hand on top of hers, which was resting upon the bar-top. He wasn't sure that she'd appreciate his bold gesture but she didn't bat his hand away so he took it as a good sign.

Neither of them however, had prepared themselves for the intense sensation that would overcome them as their skin made contact for the first time. There was something there, a spark between these two relative strangers; a spark that would see them go way beyond a casual drink, they just didn't know it yet…

"Mrs Adler?" the host interrupted their conversation, "your table's ready for you."

Jane smiled, "thanks," she replied.

Sam smiled in her direction before he spoke once more, "did you want some company Jane?" he asked her, "it can't be nice eating alone in a place like this."

"Haven't you got better things to do with your evening?" Jane responded, she had simply assumed that he was waiting for someone to show up and that his approach of her was nothing more than a friendly gesture; she was fast being made aware that had been far more than that.

Sam shook his head, "I've got no plans tonight," he told her, "and even if I did have, I would happily cancel them."

He wondered afterwards whether he had overstepped the mark with his last words but he couldn't take them back now, not that he would want to; he would never apologise for saying how he felt. Sam wanted to get to know Jane and when he wanted something, he invariably seemed to get whatever it was he wanted, whatever the cost. Jane looked towards him thoughtfully, giving his offer some serious consideration; it certainly wouldn't do her any harm to accept it, he was good company and they were both alone in New York for the evening, they would only end up dining separately if she said no. "I'd like that very much," she finally told him.

Sam smiled at her before turning to the host, "can we eat here instead?" he asked, gesturing towards the bar.

"Course," the host nodded and smiled at the two of them before leaving them to it once again.

"So…" Sam trailed off, "what is it that you do?"

"I own and run my own bakery and restaurant back home in Santa Barbara," she replied as she lifted her glass of Martini to her lips and took a sip.

"What brings you to New York then? It's a heck of a trip from the West,"

"My son, Luke, is graduating tomorrow so I've come across with the family to watch," Jane told him, her face lit up as she spoke to him about her family.

"Family?" Sam questioned, his heart began to sink as he began to wonder whether she was actually available for him to pursue.

"I've got two daughters as well," she explained, "Gabby and Lauren," she added, "Lauren's fiancé Harley's joined us as well."

"No partner?" Sam cautiously asked her, not wanting to push her if she didn't want to divulge.

Jane shook her head, "I'm divorced," she told him, "myself and Luke's father, Jake, have been divorced for ten years now. He's still as involved with the kid's lives as he was before we broke up, just not mine, and I'm happy with that."

"I wasn't being nosey or anything," Sam said to her, "I just know what it's like being divorced."

"You are too?" Jane asked him, and when Sam nodded his head, she continued, "I hope you don't mind me asking, but how come?"

Sam was silent for several moments, "it's complicated," Sam eventually told her.

Jane knew those two words only too well; she had used the same two words to describe her situation for years after her divorce. Her situation had been far from complicated; Jake had cheated, and Jane had left him because of it, it really was that simple. "Another woman?" Jane finally asked him.

Sam shrugged his shoulders, he had only met her that evening and he couldn't explain at that moment why he felt like he could share this with her, perhaps the fact that Jane too was divorced helped a little bit, but he didn't know. "Yes and no," he admitted to her. Jane was confused, but she didn't interrupt and this allowed Sam to carry on his tale. "Myself and Lorraine had issues before we were married and even during the marriage itself which, in hindsight, we probably should've sorted before the wedding even went ahead. I guess I probably made things worse by disappearing a few weeks before I married her."

"Where did you go?"

"Greece," Sam said to her, "I was having doubts about going through with the wedding and I thought the break would help me get my head together. While I was there, I had a brief fling with a woman I met out there, and I fell in love with her. She dumped me when I told her I was engaged; I called off the wedding when I returned home and was soon back in Greece, thinking that she'd be waiting for me to come back. Needless to say, it didn't work out, she'd gone off with some other guy. In the end, I went back and begged Lorraine to take me back, she did and the wedding went ahead as planned. She gave birth to my two sons but despite that, the marriage didn't last; we've been divorced about eleven years now."

Jane stared at him, gobsmacked and unsure how to react to his story, "my God," she finally spoke, "that's tough," she added, "there's no chance of you and this woman sorting things out?" she asked him.

Sam solemnly shook his head, "we never stayed in touch, this was over twenty years ago Jane. I think I burnt my bridges with her and I doubt I'd ever be allowed an opportunity to make things right, she's probably married now anyway so I doubt it'd do any good. Besides, I don't need her when I'm sat next to such a beautiful woman right now."

Jane's cheeks flushed at his compliment and she dipped her head, hiding her face from him. Sam reached forwards and hooked a finger underneath her chin, lifting it upwards so that she was looking directly at him once again. "You _are_ beautiful Jane," he said, "don't let anyone tell you any different because it's true."

Jane's gazed caught Sam's and they looked at each other for several seconds, those moments seemed to stretch into eternity and time stood still, or seemed to, at least. This certainly wasn't like any first meeting she had experienced before; that first meeting was supposed to be uncomfortable and somewhat awkward but this one wasn't, she felt relaxed and comfortable in his presence, it wasn't what she had expected at all.

By now, Sam's gaze had slipped down to her lips, he was fighting down the urge to kiss her there and then. They had only met that evening after all and he didn't want to over-step the mark too soon, for fear of making Jane feel uncomfortable. Still, that didn't stop him dwelling upon how her lips might feel against his as they shared their first kiss, he smiled to himself as he imagined how their first kiss would occur, because there would be one, he could sense that already. "Penny for them Sam," Jane interrupted his daydream.

"Eh?" Sam questioned.

"You were miles away," Jane replied, "did you want another drink?" she asked him, changing the subject.

Sam nodded his head, "yes please,"

Jane smiled at him, "I'm buying this time though,"

Sam nodded in her direction and Jane ordered their drinks. The barman cracked open a bottle of red wine and poured the liquid into two glasses before setting them down upon the bar-top. "Tell me about yourself then Sam," she said, "I mean, I know you're divorced but that's all I really do know. What is it that you do?"

"I've got my own architectural firm here in New York,"

"Really? That's amazing," Jane exclaimed, "it's just a shame that you haven't got offices in Santa Barbara because I'd have considered hiring you to carry out the work I'm having done on my property."

"What kind of work are you having done?"

"I'm having an extension to my kitchen built, I brought the property after my divorce was finalised and it's taken me until now to decide to do this. My architect brought over the blueprints a couple of days ago, next stage is to stake it out and see how it feels size-wise but it's looking good so far,"

Sam smiled at her, "I might have to make a special trip out to Santa Barbara to check out your extension once it's done, if you don't mind of course,"

Jane grinned back at him, "I'd certainly be happy to see you if you did find yourself in the West, any time," she told him.

Sam could probably be forgiven for over-analysing her words but he felt there was a certain level of suggestion tied to her last two words in particular, her voice sent shivers down his spine and his heart into overdrive. He could only remember feeling this way once before, and that was in Greece all those years ago. Whatever these feelings were, Sam was determined to explore them while he had the chance to; Jane wasn't going to be in New York for long after all. He simply needed to know whether what he felt right now was genuine before deciding what to do about it.

Their evening together passed by slowly and as the hour grew later, the bar became more and more crowded with party-goers looking for a good time. Jane and Sam eventually got round to ordering their meals but they both made a conscious decision not to order any alcohol to accompany them. Neither of them were tipsy but somehow, they both knew they weren't far off it, so they had both decided to order orange juices with their meals, instead of anything more potent. The pre-dinner drinks they'd shared had certainly helped to lower the inhibitions; as the meal went on, they began to edge closer and closer together, and neither Jane nor Sam were in the slightest bit tempted to push the other away. Anything could happen between them now that the boundaries had been lowered. Once the two of them had finished their meals, they ordered some brandy; neither of them were in a hurry to say goodbye as they were enjoying the company of the other so much. The two of them sipped in near-silence, Sam's gaze lingered upon Jane for several moments until she clocked him. She saw the twinkle in his eyes and smiled, she knew how the evening was going to end, and he did too…

The DJ soon began to play the music for all the late-night revellers and before too long, the dance-floor was packed with couples and groups of girlfriends wanting a boogie. Both Sam and Jane had finished their brandies and were observing the scene before him, "do you fancy it?" he asked, he certainly struggled to suppress the suggestion in his voice, Jane raised her eyebrow questioningly at him, "a dance I mean," he added, correcting himself as he didn't want to give her the wrong impression.

Jane gazed back at him, the faintest glimmer of a smile crept across her lips as she mulled his suggestion over in her head. "I certainly don't make a habit of doing this," she told him, "but yeah, why not?" she added.

Sam grinned happily at her and climbed off the bar-stool before offering Jane his hand; she took it and slid elegantly off her stool, relieved that the brandy hadn't affected her as badly as she thought it would've done. Once again, they felt the warm tingling sensation as their hands interlinked, the spark between them was clearly still there and the hours they'd spent together that evening had done nothing to dampen it. If anything, the attraction was perhaps even more powerful now than a few hours previously. Sam manoeuvred Jane gently through the crowds of people on the dance-floor and soon enough, the two of them were dancing around each other, free of inhibitions, the brandy had clearly helped enormously. Their gazes never wandered for a second as they danced, the song soon finished and the moment was lost, albeit temporarily. Sam stepped towards Jane, closing the gap between them; this was without a doubt the closest he had been to her all evening. He could smell the intoxicating scent of her perfume; the smell was making him dizzy with lust and longing, she was driving him insane and probably didn't even know it. The next song on the DJs playlist started, a slow number and Sam took Jane in his arms and swept her effortlessly around the dance-floor. "I don't think you have any idea what you've done to me tonight Jane," he told her as the song came to an end.

"I think I've got some idea," she told him, she was feeling bold, almost playful, the gaze that Sam was lavishing upon her was anything but playful, he looked quite serious, and thoughtful with it too.

He shook his head, "I really don't think you do," he persisted.

"Prove it then," Jane challenged him.

Sam grinned at her and his hands came to rest against the small of her back and Jane's hands soon found themselves upon his shoulders as she steadied herself against him. Her hands slowly travelled south over his chest and their gaze became even more intense; a fire had been set alight within her and deep down, she knew what was going to happen next, and she was powerless to stop it. Sam grinned at her, almost triumphantly as he leant towards her. That was when it happened, when Sam Carmichael kissed Jane Adler for the first time…


	2. Live For The Moment

**Chapter Two: Live for The Moment**

Sam's lips pressed themselves to Jane's and she didn't refuse his bold advances. It seemed almost unbelievable that they had only set eyes on each other that very evening. Her mind had been running away with her for most of the evening, wondering how their first kiss would turn out. It was every bit as amazing as she had imagined it would be. Sam's lips were soft and tender against her own and his kiss was gentle but with just enough sensuality to make her crave more. Jane barely recognised the person she'd become during the course of the evening with him; she was usually so reserved around men, especially those that she'd not long met. When she had divorced Jake ten years beforehand, dating had been the last thing on her mind as she had had the welfare of her three children to consider too. Ultimately though, the divorce had been the best thing for them in the long, it wouldn't have done them any good growing up in a house filled with tension and arguments. The divorce had left her emotionally bruised and it had taken her a good few years to get over it. During that time, she had steered clear of the dating scene because she feared getting involved with another man who would hurt her to the same degree that Jake had done. Sam however, was different, they had talked and he seemed like the kind of guy who knew how to treat his women. There was something about him that made her want to be wild, loose and sexy; her feelings for him had completely boiled over and she couldn't control her longing for him anymore, she wanted him so badly. Despite this, Jane still had her reservations about getting involved with him. She was only in New York for a short stay and they'd have to part ways when she was due to depart. She thought that leaving New York when the time came would've been so easy, but it had now gotten one hundred times harder…

All of a sudden, Sam broke their kiss, his gaze locked with hers and he smirked triumphantly at her, "does that make it clear?" he murmured.

Jane smiled at him but Sam could tell that the smile she had bestowed upon him was somewhat forced, "I guess it does," she told him.

Sam sensed that she was struggling to comprehend the speed at which things were happening between the two of them and he smiled reassuringly at her, "if you don't want this Jane, you've only got to say," he said, "I guess what I want to say is that I know we've not known each other long, but that doesn't have to be an issue, does it? Sometimes, one evening together is really all that it takes to spark something off. If you don't want to go through with this, then we need to put a stop to it right now, before we cross the line," he added.

Sam was being brutally honest with her because he didn't want to be seen to be taking advantage of her; he just had to know that she was going into this with her eyes completely open. He was such a selfless and sensitive guy and Jane couldn't help but feel reassured by his words, all the doubts that had plagued her mind had now been consigned to the scrap-heap. Tonight, she was going to embark on a voyage of discovery with Sam, in the hope that beyond the morning after, they would find something worth fighting for. "I do want this Sam" she reassured him, "I was just…" she trailed off; she wasn't sure whether she should mention the doubts that had plagued her mind, for fear of making this encounter seem like something she would look back on in years to come and cringe remorsefully at. Far from it, she would cherish this encounter forever, even if it was just the one night she had with him. "Never mind," she finally said.

Sam grinned broadly at her, "I'm sorry," he replied, "I just…"

Jane put a finger to his lips and stopped him in his tracks, "you don't have to apologise for being so lovely and selfless, OK?"

Sam nodded in her direction, he felt like he could relax again now that he had made his point to her. He wouldn't have judged her if she had turned him down but nonetheless, he was relieved that she was still there, with him. Tonight was about the two of them seizing the opportunity that had landed in their laps, and making the most of what it had to offer. However, despite a lack of inhibition, they both wondered how this would look in the cold light of day. Both Jane and Sam knew that their encounter that evening could go one of two ways; they would either end up regretting their actions or embrace what they had done and have a go at forming a meaningful relationship upon its basis. Sam especially didn't want this encounter to come to nothing; he was fascinated by Jane. He wanted nothing more at that moment than an opportunity to get to know her better. Whether she'd allow him that chance was another thing entirely…

Jane smiled up at him, completely at ease in his presence. Her arms were draped over his broad shoulders and once again, their gazes locked. She inched closer to him, her lips closing in on his until they met in a kiss once more. Their second kiss caused them to cross the line, one kiss could've easily been deemed a mistake but a second was more difficult to dismiss. The intention was clearly there and they both wanted it to happen, their feelings about this had already been conveyed. That second kiss, instigated by Jane, cast aside any doubts that may have lingered in either of their minds. Her lips pressed themselves softly to his, working her magic upon him. For the duration of their exchange, they had remained upon the dance-floor. Despite the crowds proving otherwise, it felt like it was just the two of them in that bar at that present moment. As Jane gently nibbled upon his bottom lip, Sam felt shivers of excitement surge through his body and he knew he had to kiss her properly, and now. Her teeth continued nibbling at his bottom lip, silently pleading for the access that her body was beginning to crave, Sam's resistance soon caved inwards. Jane's lips were so enticingly soft and he simply couldn't resist her any longer so when his lips finally parted, so did hers. Sam brushed his tongue against hers and gradually deepened the kiss. He could taste the brandy that they had indulged in after dinner upon her tongue, amongst other things. Sam pulled her closer to him as their kiss intensified in passion; his hands lingered upon her waist, becoming fisted in the fabric of Jane's deep purple top. She broke their kiss mere moments later and Sam shot her a look, wondering if he himself had done something wrong, her green eyes met his blue and there was no mistaking the twinkle in her eye, he knew what she wanted. "I think we should go," Jane told him, leaning close so that he could hear her over the loud music still being played the DJ.

Sam nodded his head in agreement, "where shall we go then?" he asked her.

Jane's gaze faltered for the briefest of seconds before she spoke again, "upstairs?" she replied, "I have a room," she murmured softly.

Sam grinned broadly at her, her impatience was endearing to him. "Are you sure you want this?" he questioned.

Despite the fact that this question had been asked in various guises in the last ten minutes or so, he was a chivalrous gent and the idea of taking advantage of a woman to satisfy his own needs repulsed him, so he just had to make doubly sure that she wasn't going to accuse him of doing such a thing the next morning, if she came to regret this adventure.

Jane nodded her head and pressed a soft kiss to his lips before she spoke again, "I'm sure, OK?" she replied, "it's not at all one-sided because I want this too. If I come to regret what we've done in the morning, we'll deal with it then, but right now, all I want is for us to explore what we've discovered here tonight."

Sam grinned at her, his lips moved perilously to her ear before murmuring, "I want that too," into it, only for her to hear.

If Jane hadn't already surrendered herself completely to him, she felt certain that a combination of his breath gently tickling her earlobe and his sexy, suave and seductive voice in her ear would've caused the unravelling of any self-control she still possessed. Her hand subconsciously trailed southwards, down his back and stopped when it came to rest upon his waist, it moved once again, seeking out his own. Their hands were soon entwined and their gazes locked for the umpteenth time that evening, "let's get out of here," Jane whispered to him, giggling lightly as they smiled at each other once more.

The alcohol in her system was bringing out her bold side, without it in she certainly wouldn't have felt brave enough to invite him up to her hotel room for the night, nor would she have been so receptive to the flirtation that had ensued as the evening wore on. Sam nodded his head in agreement and he slowly began to manoeuvre himself and Jane through the crowds of people still lingering upon the dance-floor, dancing to the latest tunes being spun by the DJ. The two of them moved back towards the bar so that Jane could retrieve her purse and then made a bee-line for the exit.

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Patience, Jane felt, was one of her greatest virtues but she certainly wasn't exercising it at that moment in time. The elevator stopped at almost every floor to either drop off or pick up its users and as a result, it took forever to reach the floor upon which her room was situated. Jane's patience wasn't helped by the fact that Sam's hand was fanned out against her backside and his slow, gentle breathing was tickling her earlobe, heightening her sense of arousal. By the time the elevator finally arrived at Jane's floor, she and Sam were the only two occupants that remained, the door clattered open and the two of them crept silently out of the lift and into the corridor. They were both mindful of how late the hour was so tried their best to creep quietly past the various occupied rooms they passed on the way to Jane's own room. They finally reached her room and Jane rummaged in her purse to find her key-card, swiped it through the card-slot before hustling Sam inside once the light had flashed green. "It's not much," she told him, "but it's good enough for one night," she added, "there's no point in splashing out on an expensive suite when I've got no-one to share it with," she finished sadly.

Sam could see Jane's lips moving but not a word of her last statement registered in his mind, she hadn't mentioned earlier on in the evening that she was only here for the one night, he wanted to ask her why she hadn't told him, but he didn't want to spoil the moment. "It's lovely," he finally replied, "but not quite as lovely as you."

Jane giggled lightly and clutched at his waist. "You're such a flatterer Sam," she told him.

"It's true Jane, and it seems to me that you have never been properly appreciated. I think you need someone in your life that'll treat you in exactly the way you should be treated,"

Jane looked up at him, "and who might that be?" she questioned, the smallest glimmer of a smirk crossed her lips as she asked.

Sam smirked back, "that wouldn't be for me to say," he replied mysteriously.

Jane knew though, she knew that Sam was referring to himself, but she wasn't going to let on that she knew. His face was mere inches from hers and a rush of heat that had nothing to do with his warm breath gently tickling her cheek seeped through her body, starting in her chest and eventually reached every limb. Sam's eyes were upon her, watching every little movement she made, from the slight twitch of her lip to the way her shoulders rose and fell in line with her breathing. He slowly leaned forwards and brushed a few stray wisps of her blonde hair out of her face, in an instant, Sam's lips were upon Jane's and they moulded perfectly together. She lost herself to him in that kiss, was swept up in the avalanche of feeling he had spawned within her. The light pressure he was exerting upon her lips was perfect and his hand was soft against her cheek, her skin was warm to his touch. Jane's heart swelled deep in her chest as Sam's tongue brushed against her own and increased the intensity of their kiss. His hands soon found themselves gravitating towards her stomach and his deft fingers reached for the black belt that she had accessorised her outfit with. Sam quickly set about unfastening it and Jane didn't even attempt to bat his hands away, she was a little preoccupied herself as she attempted to undo the buttons upon his crisp white shirt. The belt was quickly undone and Sam pulled it away from her body before depositing it nonchalantly upon the bedroom floor. Jane meanwhile, had finally unfastened the last button upon his shirt, she grasped the material in her hands and pushed it as far down his arms as their current position would allow. He sensed her predicament and broke their passionate embrace; he shrugged the white shirt to the floor moments later. "Thanks for that," she murmured softly to him, her voice was beginning to portray how turned on she was in his presence.

"Always a pleasure," Sam replied.

Jane was trying her best to maintain the eye contact they had but almost inevitably, her gaze shifted to his naked torso, she couldn't stop herself from almost ogling him. The strength of definition in his arms and chest told her that he was the kind of guy who took care of himself and his appearance, she certainly wasn't about to raise any objections to it. She raised her hands upwards and rested them against his biceps, pressed a single, solitary kiss to his waiting lips before whispering into his ear, "make yourself comfortable Carmichael, I'll be back."

Sam's arms quickly dropped back to his side and his eyes followed Jane as she swept into the en-suite bathroom, she didn't even give him a chance to argue with her. She could sense that his gaze was following her so she turned around, threw him a casual wink before disappearing behind the bathroom door.

Jane gazed at her reflection in the mirror for a few moments, gathering her thoughts together. She wasn't having second thoughts about sleeping with Sam but seeing the toned physique that his shirt had hidden for the duration of the evening had made her feel slightly uncomfortable and inhibited about the way her own body looked. She was happy with it but surely he would never find it as desirable as she had found his to be, unless she made an effort to enhance the bits that she did like about herself. Perhaps then he wouldn't take so much notice of the imperfections in her appearance, she hoped that would be the case anyway. She quickly stripped off her purple top, the camisole underneath and her black trousers, leaving her standing in front of the bathroom mirror in just her underwear; she was just wearing a simple cream-coloured bra with a matching pair of knickers. Jane inwardly cursed herself at her choice of underwear for the evening, if she had known that she was going to pull a gorgeous bloke like Sam, she certainly would've put some nicer undies on. Still, that couldn't be helped right now, she just had to make to the best of what she had to offer him at that moment in time. She pulled her blue robe off the hook on the back of the door and was about to throw it over her partially clothed body when she caught sight of the black slip that also hung upon the back of the bathroom door. A small smile crept across her face as she unfastened her bra and shimmied out of her knickers before reaching for the black slip on the hook. She replaced the blue robe upon its hook and wriggled into the garment before turning to the mirror to apply a thin coat of gloss to her lips; Jane smiled at her reflection and ran her fingers briefly through her hair before opening the bathroom door. She stepped back into the bedroom and found Sam stood by the window; he was staring out of the window at the glorious city he had called home for as long as he could remember. He was only roused from his daydream when Jane snaked her arms around his waist and whispered, "anything happening down there?"

"Not really, I was just…" he trailed off as he turned to face her.

The rest of his utterance was lost as he took in her appearance, he had been rendered speechless but Jane took that as a bad sign, "I'm just going to go and…." She trailed off and began to head back towards the bathroom.

She didn't get very far as Sam grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her back towards him. Jane was caught unawares as Sam's lips covered her own; he could taste the cherry flavoured lip gloss that coated her lips as his tongue slipped in between them. In that moment, all of the insecurities that plagued Jane's mind as she had readied herself quickly fled her mind as she returned his kiss. The moment was soon lost as he pulled away and gazed into her eyes, "you didn't have to make such an effort for me Jane, for the rest of the night, clothes are optional."

His utterance may have sounded crude to an outsider but to Jane, it was the final assurance that he truly did want this as much as she did herself; she wasn't just imagining the fact that he seemed to find her genuinely attractive. Sam caught her off-guard once again as he swept her into his arms and carried her over to the double bed before setting her down upon the soft bedding. Jane sat herself up and shuffled down to the foot of the bed, where Sam still stood. Her hands, shaking with anticipation reached for the belt upon his jeans and unfastened the buckle before pulling it from the hooks of his jeans, dropping it unconcernedly to the floor once it was clear. Her attention then turned to the button and the zipper upon his jeans, her trembling fingers made short work of the denim material and it soon pooled at Sam's feet. He kicked the garment aside and soon climbed onto the bed to join Jane, his hands rested at either side of her head and slowly but surely, they shuffled further and further up the bed until her head was resting against the pillow. Their gazes locked and the smallest of contented sighs emanated from Jane's lips, he was trying his hardest to hold back and take things slowly for her sake but all he wanted to do was completely devour her. He had no idea whether Jane knew how hard he was trying to fight his inner desires for her, he guessed not but somehow, he knew he was fighting a losing battle there. His lips settled themselves against her neck and he kissed her there; hot, open-mouthed kisses that seemed to take Jane's breath away. A soft and contented smile crossed her face as Sam's lips continued to kiss down her neck, eventually moving along her collarbone and kissing her there as he moved the thin strap of the nightdress aside. Sam slowly moved across and slipped the remaining strap off her shoulder, his hands moved from where they had been resting next to her head and laid them upon her forearms. He slipped the thin straps further and further down her arms until they were clear.

Jane knew he was taking things slowly for her and while she had so much respect for him because of that, she could sense that he was holding something back from her, perhaps it was female intuition or maybe it was more than that. Despite the barriers of his boxers and her black silk nightdress, she could feel his erection against her thigh. That would have to be taken care of sooner or later, Jane hoped more than anything it was the former. She was soon brought back to reality as she felt Sam's lips upon her breast, teasing her nipple into hardness. His right hand had moulded to the other breast and was teasing the nipple with his fingers; he had clearly managed to lower her slip while her thoughts had consumed her. A gentle moan emanated from Jane's lips and her back arched upwards, she was close, so desperately close to taking control of the situation in hand, all she had to do was let him know she was ready for it. Jane draped her arms over Sam's broad shoulders, gently pulled his head from her chest and upwards to meet her own. She pressed a single, hungry kiss to his waiting lips before whispering into his ear, "stop with the teasing, I can't take it much longer."

Jane felt his lips curve upwards into a smile against her cheek, he pressed a soft kiss to it before he spoke again, "you only had to say Jane," he replied.

Jane's heart soared in her chest as she took in his words, he was being so sweet and considerate towards her and she couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of affection for him in that moment. Sam was quick to rid himself of his boxers and Jane of her nightdress now that he was absolutely certain that he wouldn't face any recriminations for taking things too far too fast between them, he knew now that she was as desperate for this as he was himself, they had clearly both missed the intimacy of sex and both wanted to re-discover how it felt to be that close to someone of the opposite gender. He leant downwards and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her softly as he slid his erection into her welcoming womanhood. He swallowed the moan she released as a result of his penetration, her eyes, darkened by the forces of lust and longing met his own and a satisfied smile swept across her beautiful face, "take me Sam," Jane pleaded with him.

Sam understood immediately, it wasn't a request on her part, it was definitely an order, and he was only too happy to meet her demands. He threw a seductive wink in her direction and closed the gap between them once again before pressing a hungry kiss to her waiting lips. Jane's fingers interlinked over his shoulders as Sam slowly withdrew from her before plunging himself back inside before she had a chance to register the absence. With every inward thrust into Jane's welcoming lower body, he pitched himself further and further inside her, even the slightest movement of his stiff erection inside her caused Jane to release a muffled gasp. This was by the far the most intense sex she had ever experienced, he was no novice when it came to these matters, for which she was eternally grateful. She tilted her head backwards into the pillow; his lips left hers as a result but soon settled against her neck, caressing it with soft, sensual kisses as he began to increase the pace of his movements. His movements inside her were becoming harder, faster and more urgent as every moment passed and all Jane could do was match her movements with his own and surrender herself completely to the overwhelming feeling that was beginning to bubble in the pit of her stomach, her orgasm would soon engulf her and she wouldn't be able to control it when it did. His lips descended momentarily to her breasts, planting a soft kiss upon both her swollen nipples as her fingers fisted themselves in his hair, gently guiding his movements. Sam's hands soon reached for her breasts and moulded to each in turn, his masculine hands began to work them until Jane's back arched upwards, she could feel her orgasm building and building inside her and soon enough, she knew it would explode and send her toppling over the edge. Sam was close too but his first priority was to satisfy Jane's desires before he even thought about letting his own climax envelope him. For the second time, Jane gently pulled Sam's head up from her breasts and rested her forehead against his, her soft breath tickled his cheek for the briefest of moments before her lips captured his in a passionate embrace. He could sense by the hunger and urgency in the kiss and knew what he had to do; he increased the pace of his movements within her one last time and not long afterwards, Jane released the most gorgeous of moans as her orgasm enveloped her. She shuddered against him as she rode out the glorious waves, moments later, Sam's own climax was upon him and he ejaculated into her warm, moist womanhood. For several moments after their separate climaxes, neither Jane nor Sam spoke, nor did either make a move to settle down underneath the bed-sheets, with the intention of going to sleep. Jane had never been hugely keen on men who would do the deed and then roll over and go straight to sleep afterwards. She had infinitely more respect and affection for the guys who'd stay awake to share a conversation and a warm embrace after the deed had been done, they had usually turned out to be the guys that wanted to form a meaningful relationship with her. "Sam," Jane finally murmured, puncturing the silence that had lingered between them, "can I ask you something?"

Sam lifted his head from her chest and smiled reassuringly in her direction, he sensed by her quiet tone of voice that there was something she wanted to get off her chest and he didn't want her to feel like she couldn't tell him whatever it was that was bothering her, "course you can, what is it?" he replied.

"Hold me," Jane said simply, "please," she added.

No words were spoken as Sam withdrew from her and settled himself down beside her in the double bed. Jane shuffled into his welcoming embrace and he wrapped his arms around her, she looked towards the clock on the night-stand before resting her head upon his chest. The time on the clock read 12:30am and it forced Jane to dwell upon the fact that she was supposed to be flying back home that evening, it was the last thing she wanted to do now she had met Sam. She had enjoyed the time she had spent with him that evening and she didn't yet feel ready to leave him behind just yet. "I'm not sure I can do this," Jane finally spoke, dissipating the blissful silence that had once again descended between the two of them.

"Do what?" Sam questioned as his hands gently stroked up and down her back.

Jane looked up at him, smiling in his direction, it was her turn to be brutally honest with him now, "I'm supposed to be boarding a flight back home in eighteen hours' time and I don't know if I want to go back just yet," she confessed to him, "I thought getting on that plane to return to Santa Barbara when Luke's graduation ceremony was done and dusted would be so simple. It's not that simple anymore, because I've met you. I don't regret it, of course I don't, it just complicates matters," she added.

Sam kissed the top of her head and affectionately ran his fingers through her soft blonde locks, "if you don't want to go back just yet, there's a simple solution," he replied, "don't go, stay a bit longer."

Jane looked up at him, a thoughtful smile crept across her face and he could sense that she was giving suggestion some very serious thought. "Do you want me to stay?" she eventually questioned.

"I don't think I'd have suggested it if I didn't want you to stay," he told her, "I'm being serious Jane," he added, "I want to get to know you a bit better before you go back and somehow, I don't think the time we have left as it stands will be enough. Just live for the moment Jane, and we'll see where it takes us."

The more Jane thought about it, the more it made sense to extend her stay in New York by a day, or perhaps two, at a stretch. She didn't have a clue what Gabby, Lauren, Harley and Luke were doing with regards to flying back to Santa Barbara and the thought of being all on her own in her bungalow wasn't one she particularly relished, her decision had been made. "I'll stay," she told him, "for another day at least."

Sam smiled happily at her, leaning down to capture her lips beneath his own, Jane responded briefly to his kiss before pulling away. She unsuccessfully tried to stifle a yawn, "keeping you up am I?" he questioned teasingly.

Jane grinned at him, "yes, as a matter of fact, you are," she replied, she was trying to be serious with Sam but failed quite miserably, she certainly wasn't going to complain about being kept up by him.

"I'm not stopping you from going to sleep you know," Sam said to her.

Jane nodded her head against his chest, "I know that, I just feel like I'm wasting time sleeping when I could be awake and talking to you,"

"We've got plenty of time," Sam reminded her, "so go to sleep, I'm not going anywhere."

Within moments, Jane's eyes fluttered closed and she drifted off to sleep, Sam followed her shortly afterwards. She fell asleep a lot quicker than she usually seemed to and wasn't sure whether it was because the cross-country flight had tired her out so much, or perhaps it had more to do with the fact that she was cocooned in warm embrace of a man for the first time in quite a while. Jane guessed it was probably the latter; she would certainly enjoy getting to know Sam Carmichael a little bit better now that she had agreed to stay another day.


	3. Something Or Nothing

**Happy New Year one and all! Hope 2016 is fantastic for you all, here's another chapter for you :D**

 **xx**

* * *

 **Chapter Three: Something or Nothing**

The shrill, piercing sound of the hotel phone ringing upon the bedside table awoke both Jane and Sam from their slumber. She sleepily reached for the phone, picking up the device before replacing it back upon its cradle, "not just yet, thank you," Jane muttered.

Sam smiled at her reaction to the clearly unwanted interruption to her sleep. "Not a morning person then, I guess?" he asked her.

"Not when I've had such a late night," she answered back. as she turned to face Sam.

"Are you saying that staying up so late with me wasn't worthwhile at all?" Sam questioned, trying his best to sound as hurt as he could.

"Of course not," Jane replied indignantly, almost offended that he could even think that of her. Sam couldn't disguise it for long, a smirk soon crossed his face and she knew he'd got her, "you didn't mean that did you?" she cautiously asked him.

"Course I didn't," he told her.

"Good," Jane concluded.

"Shall we order breakfast in bed?" Sam asked, changing the subject as he spotted a menu propped up behind the hotel telephone.

Jane grinned at him, "are you always this forward the morning after the night before?" she playfully replied.

"Not always," Sam admitted, "just with those I like."

"I'll take that as a compliment then,"

Sam smiled in her direction before leaning forwards to press a gentle kiss to her waiting lips. Almost inevitably, the intensity of their kiss quickly escalated but before either of them could react to it, a knock upon the door caused them to spring apart like a pair of naughty teenagers. "I think I'd better go and answer that," Jane murmured reluctantly.

Sam nodded his head in agreement, pressed a soft kiss to Jane's forehead before she climbed out of bed. He watched as she went into the bathroom and pulled her blue robe off the back of the door. She wrapped the garment around her naked body and proceeded towards the door. Jane opened it and was surprised to see Lauren stood on the other side; her face fell as she noticed that her mother was still in her robe. "You're not ready?" she questioned in a somewhat disappointed tone.

Jane noticed that Lauren was already dressed for Luke's graduation ceremony later that morning and comprehension dawned upon her face, she had agreed to have breakfast with Gabby, Lauren and Harley before they met Jake and headed off to the ceremony. "I've not long woken up sweetie, I had a bit of a late night and slept in by accident," she told her daughter, after all, that was kind of the truth, "give me an hour to shower and get myself dressed and I'll be with you," she added, hoping that this would be enough to appease her eldest, the last thing she wanted was for Lauren to barge in and see Sam in her bed.

Her daughter smiled and nodded her head, "I'll go back downstairs and let Gabby and Harley know you're running a bit late then, see you in an hour mom," Lauren replied before sweeping off down the corridor towards the elevator.

Jane closed the door after watching Lauren disappear inside the elevator. She couldn't help feeling slightly guilty about forgetting the breakfast meeting with Harley and the kids before the graduation. Since she had divorced Jake, her main priority had been her kids, finding a man had not been high on her list of priorities while her kids had been completely reliant upon her. Lauren, Gabby and Luke were now grown-up and starting to live their own lives so Jane's priorities would have to change to reflect that. Surely now it was time for her to do something for herself now that her children were old enough to take care of themselves. Jane couldn't think that the kids would be unhappy at her finding someone to spend the rest of her life with; she grinned to herself as she remembered that she'd left Sam alone and naked in her bed to go and answer the door. "I've got an apology to make," Jane said rather apologetically as she sat herself down upon the bed beside Sam.

"Have you really?" Sam asked her.

Jane nodded her head forlornly, "I'm going to have to take a raincheck on breakfast I'm afraid, I completely forgot I'd planned to have breakfast with the kids and Harley before the graduation ceremony,"

Sam smiled towards and nodded his head in recognition, "I understand Jane, but I do hope I'll get some sort of compensation for not getting breakfast with you this morning," he cheekily told her.

Jane grinned in his direction "tomorrow morning," she told him, "there'll be nothing to stop us having breakfast together then," she added, pausing before she continued, "but for now, I just want to say thanks for last night, it was... great," she finished, it was clear that she was having great difficulty disguising the smirk that was threatening to dance across her face.

Sam sat up and pressed a tender kiss to her lips, "is great the only word you can think of to describe it?" he questioned flippantly.

Jane smiled, "I've got an hour to get myself showered and dressed for my son's graduation ceremony so I haven't got time to expand on 'great' right now,"

"I thought you were going for breakfast?"

"I am, but we'll be going straight to the ceremony afterwards," Jane told him, "Now, I need to get ready, you've delayed me long enough"

Jane climbed off the double bed and moved towards the wardrobe, pulling out her outfit for the ceremony before heading towards the bathroom, "are you complaining about my delaying tactics?" Sam called after her.

Jane poked her head around the bathroom door, "of course not," she told Sam, smiling softly in his direction before disappearing behind the door once more.

Within thirty minutes, Jane had showered, dressed and almost ready to meet the children and Harley for breakfast before the graduation ceremony. All she needed to do now was sort her hair out and apply some make-up; it certainly wasn't going to take as long as the shower had done. In the time she had been in the bathroom, Sam too had re-dressed himself and was ready to go, "I'll let you know when I'm checking out," Jane said to him as she walked with him to the hotel room door.

Sam looked at her, "if you're going to do that, don't you think it's a good idea that we exchanged numbers first?" he asked.

Jane grinned at him and nodded her head, "that would be a very good idea, otherwise I wouldn't have a clue how to get in touch with you," she said, laughing off her own mistake. Sam pulled a business card out of his wallet, with all of his contact details on, and passed it along to Jane. She, in return, jotted down her mobile number on the back of a cardboardcoaster that sat upon one of the corner tables in her room before passing it to him, "I will be in touch later today," Jane promised, smiling softly up at him as she spoke.

"I'll be waiting for that call," Sam told her.

He opened the hotel room door and was just about to step out into the corridor when Jane's hand upon his arm stopped him, "I just want one more, before you go," she murmured.

If Sam was a bit confused by what she had said, he didn't show it. Jane flung her arms around her neck, in doing so, her lips closed in on his and before too long, the two of them were kissing, passionately, almost desperately, she wasn't sure why she was being like this around him, it wasn't as though she wasn't going to see him again after all. The two of them broke apart for air moments later and Jane's arms dropped back to her side, Sam pressed a single solitary kiss to her cheek before heading down the corridor and towards the same elevator Lauren had got in only thirty-five minutes beforehand. Jane grinned to herself as she closed the hotel room door behind her, she was blissfully unaware that they had been seen, their kiss had been witnessed by the one person whom she would like to have kept her budding romance from for as long as feasibly possible...

* * *

Jake emerged from around the corner as soon as he was sure that Jane had gone back into her hotel room and Sam had got in the elevator. After finding out that Jake hadn't travelled across the country with Agness or her young son Pedro, Lauren had taken it upon herself to invite him to join them for breakfast; he had happily accepted because it was an opportunity for him to spend some quality time with his daughters and future son-in-law before the graduation ceremony, and Jane too of course. Jake had only planned to ask Jane how much longer it would take her to get ready but now, he felt that he couldn't leave it at that. Seeing his ex-wife in the arms of another man had caused the green-eyed monster to rear its ugly head, he could scarcely believe what he had just witnessed. He wasn't sure of much at that moment but the one thing he was absolutely certain of was that he needed to know what was going on between his ex-wife and her new male companion. True, they hadn't been husband and wife for years so it wasn't really any of his business but he really felt like he needed to know. Jake strode purposefully up to Jane's door and knocked upon it, waiting for her answer. He could hear her approaching, "you are beginning to distract me now Sam, I can't finish getting ready with you around so go away," she shouted through the door as she came closer.

Jane opened the door and was stunned to see that it was Jake stood in her doorway, and not Sam as she had thought. "Sorry," she apologised, "I thought you were somebody else."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you Jane," he replied coolly, "are you busy?"

She nodded, "very," she said, "I still haven't finished getting ready for the graduation ceremony."

In the few minutes that had elapsed in between Sam leaving and Jake turning up, she had only had time sort out her hair, she still had to do her make-up to do so the distraction wasn't ideal. "This isn't going to take long,"

Jane thought about it for a moment, the longer she stood arguing with Jake, the less time she had to finish getting ready. She didn't want to let him in but somehow, Jane knew he wasn't going to leave without speaking to her. Against her better judgement, she nodded her head and stepped aside to let him in. She was confused, what could be so important that Jake had to speak to her about it before the graduation. Of course, she had no idea at that point that not only had he witnessed her and Sam's kiss, but Lauren had invited him to join them for breakfast too. "I'll just cut to the chase shall I?" he asked as she closed the door.

"I think that would be a very good idea Jake," Jane replied as she swept past him and into the bathroom, hoping that she'd be able to apply her make-up while Jake was talking to her.

He paused for a moment, thinking about asking her to give him her full attention but he bit his tongue, knowing that it would escalate into yet another argument. "I saw you," he spoke bluntly, hoping the harshness of his utterance would force her to abandon the application of her make-up and actually listen to what he was trying to tell her.

His words had the desired effect; Jane stopped midway through applying her eye-shadow and turned to face him. By now, Jake was stood in the bathroom doorway, watching the expression on Jane's face change as his words registered with her. "What exactly did you see?" she questioned tentatively, deep down, she knew exactly what he had seen, she just wanted him to say it.

"I saw you practically throw yourself at the flashy git that just left this room,"

Jane's eyes flashed dangerously, "flashy git?" she repeated.

She couldn't quite believe that Jake was being so vicious about a guy he didn't even know. To be fair, she didn't know him particularly well either but there was time for that to change. "He just seems like the type," he said nonchalantly, almost as though he was trying to dismiss his earlier remark and claw back some favour with his ex-wife.

For several moments, neither Jane nor Jake spoke as she went back to applying her eye-shadow. Finally, she broke the silence, "this isn't about Sam, is it Jake?" she asked him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied innocently.

"Don't give me that, I'm not stupid you know. You haven't shown the slightest interest in my life for many years and now, just because I _might_ be in a new relationship, you think that it's the perfect time to start preaching to me about how I live my life. I can see whoever I like Jake, and nothing you do or say is going to stop me,"

"Nice to see you're not denying it," Jake told her calmly, "how long has it been going on?" he added.

"You're making it sound like I'm in a relationship with him, and I'm not. We're just seeing how things progress,"

"Is it serious?"

"I thought I'd answered that, it is not serious at the moment, but I'm not saying it won't be in the future, only time will tell," Jane told him, "why all the questions anyway?"

Jake was stuck, he didn't think he could answer that without Jane becoming suspicious about his intentions, so he used the most obvious reason he could think of, she might rumble him but he had to take that chance. "I'm just thinking about the kids, and how this is going to affect them," he replied.

"You make it sound like they are still coming to terms with the two of us divorcing,"

"How do you know that they're not?"

"It's been ten years Jake, they know that we're both there for them no matter what, we're just not together anymore,"

Jake met her gaze before he spoke again, he somehow knew that she probably wasn't going to like what he was about to say but he felt that he had to ask it, just to be sure that there was no going back for them if anything else. "What if we were?" he finally asked her, very cautiously.

Jane scoffed, "you are joking, right?" she replied, "you're married to Agness for goodness sake."

Jake nodded his head, "I know that, how can I forget?"

He moved into the bathroom and towards Jane, but she put her hands out in front of her to stop him from coming any closer, "I hope you know that I wouldn't get back with you, even if you were the last man on Earth. You cheated on me, or have you forgotten that? Ten years we have been divorced and I've moved on, but I will never forgive you for what you did," she told him, "I have no idea what will happen with Sam, it will either be something or nothing but one thing I do know is this, I will not let you mess this up for me, got that?"

Jake knew that he was beaten; he wasn't going to fight her on this, not at that moment anyway. This was a day for them to celebrate their youngest child's college graduation, not for them to air their grievances about the past. He nodded his head, "loud and clear," he finally said, conceding defeat.

"Good," Jane replied, "this conversation is over; now go, I need to finish getting ready,"

Jake nodded his head, "I'll see you at breakfast then," he told her, it was the first time he had mentioned it in their whole exchange, it hadn't seemed overly important to say anything up until now.

He retreated from the bathroom and moments later, Jane heard the hotel room door close after him. "Oh God," she eventually sighed.

In the light of what herself and Jake had just discussed, Jane felt sure that breakfast was going to be a very uncomfortable and awkward affair, for her especially. Damn him, why did he have to come out with that, today of all days? "Damn you Jake Adler," Jane cursed out loud as she applied her mascara.

Deep down, Jane wasn't worried about him telling the children about her liaison with Sam, he had their best interests at heart after all. Her main concern was that now he knew, he would try and spoil it for her, she couldn't let Jake get the better of her, the battle was well and truly on...

* * *

Breakfast was every bit as uncomfortable and awkward as Jane had expected it to be. Jake's interruption had resulted in her taking longer than she had anticipated to finish sorting herself out for the graduation ceremony that day. As she arrived at the table, she realised that the only unoccupied seat at the table was next to Jake, in that moment, Jane wished that he hadn't knocked upon her door to talk to her about her blossoming relationship with Sam, that way she might've been able to avoid such an awkward scenario at the breakfast table. Deep down though, Jane was sure that Jake had orchestrated this whole situation, manipulated the seating arrangements so that Jane was forced to sit next to him. It was a nightmare scenario for her, especially after their heated confrontation barely thirty minutes beforehand. She knew that she had to try and deal with this in a mature manner, she couldn't let on to the kids that something was wrong. At the end of the day, Jane didn't want her differences with Jake to spoil what should've been a joyous day for their family. Despite their parents' best attempts to pretend that everything was fine between them, both Gabby and Lauren knew something wasn't quite right, they both briefly considered asking their parents what was going on but the thought was quickly dismissed, neither of them wanted to cause an incident on what should've been a happy day for the family.

Before too long, breakfast and accompanying coffees had been demolished and the Adler clan, Harley too, were on the way to Washington Square Park, the venue for Luke's graduation. The ceremony certainly wasn't going to be as awkward as breakfast had been because the girls and Harley were stood between Jane and Jake on the bleachers, so they didn't really have a chance to speak. Jake was recording the event on his video camera and Jane had the camera to take the pictures. Soon enough, the university band started playing Pomp and Circumstance as the Graduating Class entered the field in their graduation caps and gowns. The families assembled in the bleachers all applauded as the Class made their way around. It took several moments for any of the family to spot Luke but when Gabby, Harley and Lauren did finally spot him, they went mad. The emotion was clearly starting to get to Jane, who was sobbing behind the black sunglasses she was wearing; even Jake was a little overcome as he wiped away tears with his free hand. Luke finally spotted his folks in the crowd and broadly bowed in their direction, exciting them even more.

The ceremony soon finished and Luke joined up with his family as soon as he could. With the youngest child in tow, they headed off to the restaurant that Jake had made reservations at for lunch that afternoon. Gabby and Lauren made a conscious effort to ensure that their parents were sat at opposite ends of the table in a desperate bid to avoid any of the awkwardness that had plagued their first meal of the day. Luke wondered why his sisters were making such an effort to ensure that their parents didn't sit together but he never bothered asking why, they were altogether as a family for the first time in so long, he didn't have the heart to spoil it. The lunch was lovely but Jane's mind kept wandering, she thought about Sam and the lovely evening they had spent together, thought about what the next day or so would hold for the pair of them, she even thought about what Jake had said earlier that day, but she gave his concerns no serious consideration. If this was going to be a mistake, she would find out in her own time, and in her own way. Her thoughts were so deep that at times, she missed out huge chunks of conversations that were happening around the table and was unable to jump back in without making it quite clear her thoughts had drifted in the first place. Lauren had noticed though, "are you sure you're OK mom?" she asked her as Gabby and Luke were poring over the dessert menu.

Jane turned to face her eldest daughter and affectionately stroked her cheekbone, "I'm fine sweetheart, I've just got a lot on my mind, that's all," she replied.

Lauren smiled at her Mom and let the subject drop; she knew that something was going on, despite Jane's assurances that she was fine but clearly, she wasn't yet prepared to discuss the matter with her eldest daughter. The thoughts that plagued Jane's mind at that present moment though, were definitely not the kind of thoughts she would ever dream of sharing with her daughter...

* * *

As much as Jane had enjoyed spending time with her three children, checking-out time couldn't come soon enough for her. She was desperate to avoid another argument with Jake about her blossoming relationship with Sam but somehow, she knew if she hung around the hotel any longer than she had to, he would take her to one side and try to put his point across once again. Jane knew he wouldn't dare ask her outright in the front of the kids so really, trying to get her alone was his only option. Jake had already tried to talk to her once but there certainly wasn't anything stopping him from trying again, he was persistent, Jane knew that already.

Checking-out time soon arrived and Jane and Jake were stood side-by-side at the reception desk, signing their credit card receipts. The children and Harley were chatting in the foyer as they waited for their parents to finish signing the paperwork. "I hope you know what you're doing with Sam," Jake said to her.

Jane looked towards him, she wasn't sure whether he was displaying genuine concern towards her or whether it was a smokescreen to mask his true feelings. Either way, it sounded like something he'd say to either Lauren or Gabby and Jane wasn't sure she liked it. She didn't answer but Jake hadn't really expected her to anyway. Once the forms had been signed, Jane headed into the foyer to meet the kids, "so, who's coming home when? Nobody's told me anything," she questioned.

"We're all staying to help Luke pack up his things, we're coming back the day after tomorrow, we're booked on an early afternoon flight," Lauren responded.

"And I'll be back at the end of the week Mom," Luke added.

Jane smiled at the four of them, "what time is your flight Jane?" Jake asked his ex-wife as he joined the group.

His question had taken her by surprise so it took her a few moments to get her answer out, "I'm not flying back today, I've re-arranged my flight so I'm not leaving until the day after tomorrow," she replied, she couldn't even bring herself to look at Jake as she answered him.

"Why? Why are you staying?" Lauren asked her mom.

Jane was quick to come up with a suitable explanation, "the girls flew in this morning, they wanted to do a shopping trip so I agreed to join them. That's why I re-arranged my flight home," she told them, she knew she had to tell them something; she certainly wasn't ready to tell them exactly why she was staying.

Jane still couldn't bring herself to look at Jake; she knew he'd be aware that she wasn't really staying in New York for a girlie shopping trip. The last thing she needed at that moment was another disagreement with him about Sam. Jane didn't like keeping secrets from her children but she just had to work out whether this thing with Sam was serious first, and then she would tell them.

"We'll see you back in Santa Barbara then Mom," Gabby said.

Jane nodded her head, "just make sure you text me or something when you land in LA," she told them.

"I'll make sure one of them does," Harley replied.

"Thanks Harley," Jane spoke, "right, I'd better hit the road guys, I've got somewhere I need to be."

She kissed all three of her children, and Harley too before she reached Jake. He leant across and pressed a kiss to her cheek before whispering in her ear, "don't forget what I said."

Jane frowned at him and stepped away, "I'll see you all back home," she called out, mainly to her children and Harley, before heading towards the hotel exit, with the intention of finding Sam and picking up where they had left off earlier that day.

Sam's driver, Richard, had parked his Aston Martin cabriolet on Park Avenue, about fifty yards or so from the Park Regent. Sam was casually leant against it, chatting to his driver through the open window as he waited for Jane to join him, she had called him about an hour or so beforehand to let him know when she was checking out and he had promised that he'd meet her. After about fifteen minutes of waiting, Jane finally emerged from the hotel, her suitcase on wheels dragging behind her. "Here she comes," he told Richard.

His driver nodded his head and Sam strode towards her, "hey," he said once she was stood in front of him before leaning down to kiss her cheek.

It was the same cheek that, unbeknownst to Sam, Jake had kissed barely five minutes beforehand but Jane shut that thought out of her mind, she didn't even want to think about him right now. "Hi," she replied, smiling softly up at him.

He had known her for less than a day but somehow, he knew there was something on her mind. "What's wrong?" Sam asked her bluntly.

"There isn't anything wrong as such, we just need to talk Sam," she replied.

"Please don't tell me that this is what I think it is,"

"What do you think this is then?"

"I think this is you coming to tell me you've had second thoughts about staying on here with me," Sam told her honestly, he wasn't the kind to disguise his thoughts and feelings, honesty to him was paramount in any relationship.

Jane shook her head and released her suitcase from her grasp, she wrapped her arms around him and he held her close. They both pulled away, "it's not that Sam, I promise. I am staying and nothing is going to change my mind about that, there's just something I need to share with you," she assured him.

"What is it?" he asked her.

This time, unlike with Jake, Jane knew that the concern was genuine. Sam clearly cared about her and wanted to know that she was OK, his genuine concern brought a smile to her face, the first proper smile she'd given him since they had parted ways outside her hotel room earlier that day. "I'll tell you later," Jane assured him.

Sam nodded his head in her direction, he knew she'd tell him what was going on when she felt the time was right. "Shall we go back to my place?" he asked her finally.

"Yeah, why not?" Jane replied.

Sam reached for her case and dragged it behind him to the car, Jane certainly wasn't going to stop him, she was pleased to discover that the age of chivalry wasn't dead after all. Richard got out of the car as they approached and he took Jane's case from Sam, depositing it in the boot of the car. Once done, he opened up one of the passenger doors and Sam stepped aside to allow Jane to climb in first. She was just about to get into the car when she spotted Jake outside the Park Regent, he was looking in the opposite direction but somehow, she knew he had been taking too much of an interest in her and Sam. She sighed to herself, knowing that she would have to fill Sam in about Jake as soon as possible, otherwise he would inadvertently spoil the limited time that Jane and Sam had together.

* * *

The penthouse in Tribeca where Sam lived was massive, as Jane discovered when she first arrived. It occupied the top two floors of the building and it seemed unnaturally big for him to live in all on his own. "I brought this place while I was still married," he told her, satisfying her unspoken curiosity, "there was five of us at the time so we needed a big place, and this was perfect,"

"Five of you?" Jane questioned, she was aware that he had two sons with his wife, but he hadn't mentioned anyone else.

Sam nodded as she showed her into the spacious living room, with its cream leather sofas. "There was myself, Lorraine, Seamus and Dylan, our two boys and finally, Lauren, my step-daughter. Lorraine hadn't long come out of another relationship when we met and she was pregnant with the ex's child, I agreed to bring the child up as if it had been mine all along. When Lauren came along, I was named as her father on the birth certificate so as far as she was concerned, I was her father, in every sense of the word. As Lauren grew up, the issue of telling her that I wasn't her real father came up more and more in mine and Lorraine's conversations and very often led to rows about what was best for her. I wanted to tell her the truth, even though I'd agreed to bring her up as my daughter. I still thought that she deserved to know the truth and be given an opportunity to find her birth father, if she decided that was what she wanted. Lorraine disagreed; she couldn't see why the past had to be dredged up once again, as far as she was concerned, Lauren was my daughter. I knew at that point that it had gone too far, the lying had gone on for so long that Lorraine had started to believe it was true, even though she knew it wasn't.

"Lauren heard us arguing about it one evening and after that, the truth came out. It killed mine and Lorraine's marriage; I knew that we couldn't carry on as we were, she would've been only too happy to carry on the lie if Lauren hadn't overheard us. It hasn't changed anything between myself and Lauren though, she doesn't want to know who her real father is, as far as she's concerned, I _am_ her father and I'm happy with that. Lauren and Lorraine don't speak anymore; she just can't get past the fact that her own mother would've gladly kept that a secret for as long as she possibly could. She's twenty-three now and off doing her own thing, Seamus is twenty-one and Dylan's nineteen, at least they know that they can always come back here if things get tough."

Jane could only nod in response, she couldn't think of anything to say at that moment. The fact that he had shared that slice of information with her made her even more determined to tell him about Jake, if this was going to get serious between the two of them, there couldn't be any secrets between them, otherwise there wasn't much chance of it working. "I'm glad you told me Sam," she finally said as she rested a comforting hand against his arm.

He turned to look at her before pressing a soft kiss to her cheek, "I am too," he replied, "now, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?" he added, quickly changing the subject.

Jane smiled as he settled himself down onto the cream leather sofa. He bade her to do the same and she did, perching herself next to him. Jane couldn't look at him as she tried to marshal her thoughts; she wasn't really sure where to start so she took a few moments to gather herself. Sam didn't interrupt her; he knew she would share this with him when she was ready. "You remember when we said goodbye, in the doorway of my hotel room?" she finally asked him.

Sam nodded his head and smirked, "how could I forget?" he replied.

Finally, Jane looked up at him, "when we kissed in the doorway, someone spotted us," she told him.

Sam straightened up and reached for her hand, "Jane, who saw us?" he asked her, his words might've sounded blunt, but he certainly hadn't intended them to be; he didn't want to push to say who had seen them if she wasn't ready to.

Jane gazed into his eyes; she could see that he was concerned and genuinely worried about what she was going to tell him. Sam had no idea what she was about to say and his worry and concern stemmed from that, he had no clue who had witnessed their kiss in the hotel doorway but what he did know was this; whoever had spotted their kiss had left Jane feeling pretty rattled. Eventually, she spoke, "it was Jake,"

"Your ex-husband Jake?" Sam questioned.

"The one and only,"

"What has he said about it?"

Jane didn't answer immediately, she knew what she wanted to say to him but at the same time, she didn't want to give Sam a bad impression of her ex-husband. At the end of the day, he wasn't all bad, his cheating had split them up and now, his jealous streak was threatening to spoil her blossoming romance with this handsome New Yorker. "He didn't say a lot, but I've known him for long enough to know that he's not happy with the situation as it is,"

"What situation?"

"This," Jane told gesturing to herself and then to him.

"Why has he got a problem with it in the first place? You've been divorced for ten years," Sam reminded her, he paused and a thought soon came to mind that he needed to voice, so he continued, "you don't think he wants you back, do you?" he asked her.

"Why would he?" Jane replied, "he's got Agness now so why would he want me back when he has her?"

"More to the point, why wouldn't he want you back?" Sam asked her, his words were met by silence from Jane and he sensed it was time to bring this particular conversation to an end, "it's his loss at the end of the day," he told her, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead, "come on, I've got something I want to show you," he added.

Jane smiled at him as the pair of them rose from their seats and he led her through the house to a set of French doors. It was just the two of them until the day after tomorrow, it was their time to get to know each other properly and decide whether this blossoming romance was going to turn into anything more serious, or whether it would become one of those holiday romances. They hoped not but only time would tell on that score.

The French doors led the two of them out onto an expansive and private planted terrace, the view of the Hudson was spectacular but it was the swimming pool that caught Jane's attention. "I can see why you've never thought about selling up," she said, "this place is amazing."

Sam nodded, "I'm a very lucky guy," he admitted.

"You really are," she agreed.

The two of them stood in silence for a few moments, letting the peace and tranquillity envelope them. Sam stepped towards Jane and wrapped his arms around her waist, he swept her blonde locks to one side and pressed a soft and tender kiss to her neck. "Your ex-husband is an idiot," he finally stated.

Sam's utterance took Jane a little bit by surprise, "how do you mean?" she asked him.

"Well, he left you to shack up with some younger woman. If I'd been given that choice, and I had to choose between you and her, I would choose you every time,"

Jane's heart swelled in her chest as his words registered in her mind, "but why?" she questioned.

"Why wouldn't I?" Sam replied, "I may have only known you a day or so but it didn't take me that long to realise that you've got everything a guy could wish for. I know I told you this last night but I'm going to say it again; you're beautiful Jane, not just on the outside," he added, "Jake made a big mistake in leaving you but I guess his loss is my gain," he finished.

Jane was speechless; she could hardly believe what he was saying to her. The sincerity was clear in his voice and she knew he wasn't just saying that to win her over, he was saying it because he meant it. She turned around to face him, "but still, you could have any woman you wanted…." Jane protested but a finger to her lips caused her voice to tail away.

Sam silenced her before she got any further, "I don't want any other woman though," he told her, "I want you."

Jane couldn't even think of a response to his confession, Sam's admission seemed to reverberate in her ears again and again until she finally made sense of it. "You do?" she questioned.

It was a feeble response, she knew that, but it was the best she could come up with at that present moment. "I do," Sam confirmed to her, "and I'm not sure why you're trying to avoid it. I want you Jane, and after last night, I think you want me too," he added.

"You seem very sure of yourself,"

"I am when there's reason to be,"

Jane smiled in his direction, "I want you too Sam, just as much as you want me but then again, I think you knew that already," she told him.

Sam nodded his head, "it doesn't hurt for me to hear it though," he replied.

Jane nodded her head, "I guess the whole thing with Jake just rattled me a little bit, I just had to get that out in the open, and give you the chance to back off if you wanted to,"

"You don't have to explain yourself to me," Sam told her, "it's going to take more than your ex-husband to scare me off."

"I'm glad to hear it," Jane replied.

Silence descended between the two of them once again as they both pondered their thoughts. Sam's voice punctured the silence a few moments later, "do you fancy trying out the swimming pool?" he asked her.

The faintest glimmer of a smile danced across Jane's face, "maybe in a bit, I want to unpack my stuff first," she replied.

"I'll show you where the bedroom is then," Sam told her.

Jane smiled towards him as he led her back through the French doors and into the penthouse. He opened the door to the Master Bedroom a few moments later and stepped aside to let Jane enter first. It was as stunning as the rest of the house, a wood-burning fireplace was set into one wall, the four-poster bed was against another and of course, another planted terrace with more stunning views of the river. "This is beautiful," Jane exclaimed.

"Isn't it just?" Sam replied, "I'll leave you to unpack Jane, I'll be by the swimming pool when you're done."

He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before closing the door slightly as he left, giving Jane enough privacy to unpack her belongings. He was certainly going to do everything that he could to keep hold of her.

* * *

Jane's belongings didn't take as long to unpack as she had anticipated. She hadn't brought that much in the way of clothes with her because she hadn't expected to be detained in New York for any longer than originally planned. Nonetheless, she wasn't complaining about her extended stay in the city now, not one little bit. She strolled back through the house and slid open the French doors which led to the planted terrace. Upon the terrace, she found Sam sat on a sun lounger, wearing nothing but a pair of swimming shorts. Jane smiled to herself, of course, she wasn't about to let him know how desirable she found the sight before her eyes, not just yet anyway. "I hope you don't think you're coming swimming with me," she jokingly told him.

He looked towards her, slightly startled by her sudden reappearance, he was just about to reply to her utterance but it was lost as he took in her appearance, his jaw had dropped in amazement. Despite bringing a distinct lack of clothes with her to New York, Jane had still packed her favourite white and gold bikini with matching bottoms but for now, she had just thrown a shirt over the top of the ensemble, not yet feeling confident enough in his presence to wander around in just the bikini and bottoms. "I don't have to if you don't want me to," Sam told her.

Jane smiled at him, "I was joking Sam," she replied, "champagne?" she added, pointing towards the bottle upon the table beside the lounger.

Sam nodded, "can I tempt you?"

Jane grinned, "of course,"

In the time that Jane had taken to unpack her stuff and change her clothes, Sam had obviously changed into his swimming shorts and also, opened up the bottle of champagne, he poured the sparkling liquid into a pair of flutes sat upon the table. He handed one to Jane and she gratefully received it, their glasses clinked together and the two of them exchanged smiles. "Can I tell you something?" Sam asked her cautiously.

Jane nodded, "go ahead," she replied.

"I think you've got really beautiful eyes," he told her, "it's the first thing I noticed about you after I caught your gaze in the bar last night."

Jane's heart soared in her chest as his words registered with her, she couldn't remember the last time she had been with a bloke who was as complimentary towards her as Sam had been since they had met. She felt like she'd struck gold meeting him in the bar when she had done. "Is that the only thing you noticed?" Jane asked him.

Sam shook his head as she took a sip from her champagne flute, "you've got a lovely smile too," he replied, "I could go on Jane but honestly, I'd be here all day."

"I've got all day," she reminded him, "I'm here until the day after tomorrow."

Sam nodded his head, "I know that, but I didn't intend on spending our time together listing what I noticed about you last night. I did have other things in mind,"

"What other things did you have in mind then?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know, let's just go with the flow and see what happens,"

Sam took Jane's flute out of her hand and placed it with his back upon the table beside the lounger. He stepped back towards her and pressed his lips gently to hers, she responded immediately. Her lips parted and his tongue brushed against hers, tasting the sweetness of the champagne she'd not long drunk as he kissed her. Sam's hands soon gravitated to the shirt that Jane was wearing and his nimble fingers set about undoing the buttons, she wasn't even going to try and stop him, resisting Sam Carmichael was a futile exercise after all. As he successfully managed to undo the final button, Jane broke the kiss; she softly rubbed his cheek and stepped back. If Sam was disappointed by the abrupt end to their kiss, her next utterance would certainly reawaken the flames of lust and longing within him, "I think I fancy that swim now," Jane announced.

She slipped the cotton shirt off her shoulders and let it drop to the concrete. Sam's jaw dropped as he took in her appearance; the white and gold bikini flattered her in all the right places but perhaps more importantly, the sudden shift in attitude had made her even more desirable to Sam than she had done before. To put it simply, in the short time they had known each other, he had never wanted her more than he did at that moment.

Jane stepped towards the pool's edge and slipped elegantly into the warm water. She swam a couple of lengths and then to the side as Sam got in to join her. She watched as he managed a length and a half before swimming over to join her at the side of the pool. "I thought you supposedly kept yourself in shape, can't even manage two lengths of a swimming pool," Jane jokingly taunted him.

Sam playfully splashed her before he spoke, "I'll have you know that I do keep myself in shape, I just can't be bothered competing to see who can swim the furthest right now," he replied.

"Is there anything you can be bothered to do right now?"

They both felt the sudden shift in mood between them and almost instantaneously, they knew what was going to happen next, "now you come to mention it, there is," Sam told her.

He raised his eyebrows and watched as her chest began to rise and fall at more regular intervals, in line with her slightly heavier breathing. He was so close to her that his soft breath tickled her cheekbone and made her skin tingle. Neither of them were sure how much longer they could carry on teasing the other for, something had to be done about this situation, and soon. She felt brave and decided to take control of the situation; Jane flung her arms around Sam's neck and closed the already small gap between them. Her lips quickly captured his in a kiss and Sam didn't resist her bold advances, he couldn't resist even if he'd wanted to.

He broke the kiss and began to press a trail of hot, open-mouthed kisses along her jaw-line, down her neck and across her throat before finally reaching her collar-bone. Jane gasped delightedly as she felt his kisses against her skin, the feeling of his lips gently caressing her delicate skin sent intense sensations through to every synapse in her body. Her bikini top had been tied twice to keep it secure; once in a bow at the back of her neck and once in a bow at her back. Sam's kisses had led him to seek out the tie at the back of her neck; he gently tugged at one of the ends and within moments, the beautiful bow which Jane had tied barely twenty minutes beforehand had been dismantled and the two straps rested limply over her shoulders. Sam smiled triumphantly at her and pressed a soft and solitary kiss to her waiting lips, "do you do that a lot?" she questioned, her eyebrow arching upwards in curiosity as she spoke.

"Not quite as often anymore," he cheekily replied.

Jane gasped and any reply that she might have prepared was lost as his lips captured hers in a kiss, at that precise moment, his thigh slid in between her legs and pinned her against the side of the swimming pool. She certainly wasn't going anywhere anytime soon but the change of position made her aware of just how intense this encounter was getting. Jane arched herself towards him as much as she could, smirking into their passionate kiss as she felt the evidence of his arousal pressing against her side. Sam broke the kiss again, "what are you smirking at?" he questioned.

The smirk remained present upon Jane's face as she answered, "I can feel how badly you want this," she murmured softly to him, "I can feel how badly you want me," she added.

Her hands travelled over the wet and well-defined contours of his torso, her movements caused a strangled gasp to emanate from Sam's lips, setting off a chain reaction of emotions inside him and in the end, only served to make his erection even more uncomfortable as he became more and more turned on by her actions. Jane pressed a soft kiss to the edge of his lips before pulling away, "tease!" he cheekily taunted her.

Jane raised her eyebrows, "takes one to know one," she replied triumphantly.

"Would you like me to test out this theory of yours?"

"I'm pretty sure you already have but go ahead, if you must,"

Sam smirked playfully at her as he engaged her in yet another passionate kiss. His hands, meanwhile, slipped underneath the water and they soon same to rest against her thighs. He shifted his own thigh out from in between her legs and his hands slipped Jane's bikini bottoms slowly down her thighs, they slid down to the swimming pool floor so easily once they passed her knees. Neither of them were bothered whether they remained at the bottom or floated up to the surface. Jane wasn't even truly aware that they had been removed until Sam's hand pressed gently against her core, his fingers tantalisingly circling her entrance. This time, Jane broke the kiss and it was now Sam who was displaying the triumphant smirk. "I think you can say that I most definitely am a tease," he told her.

Jane shook her head disparagingly at him, "this is not a competition Sam," she snapped at him; it sounded harsh but he knew she didn't mean it; it was just the arousal talking. She was breathing considerably heavier than before and he knew that to be sure sign that she needed to be taken soon, before the teasing went too far, "so will you please stop teasing, stop talking and just take me, for goodness sake."

Sam was speechless, he couldn't remember the last time that a woman had been so forward with him about she wanted, he of course, was only too happy to oblige. He didn't even bother to answer her last utterance; he didn't think an answer was needed. The two of them gravitated back towards one another and their lips meet once again, sweeping them both up in a whirlpool of lust and unexpressed desires. Hands travelled frantically over the body of the other as they tried desperately to rid themselves of the remaining barriers so that Sam could do what Jane had demanded of him. Jane's fingers skimmed over the front of his shorts, her lips curving upwards against his as his erection reminded her that he wanted this as much as she did. It certainly wasn't an attraction felt by one party but not the other, it was genuine and it was one hundred per cent mutual.

Sam's swimming shorts soon fell away from the lower half of his body and his fingers set about undoing the final tie that held Jane's bikini top over her breasts. It fell apart as easily as the first one had done and Sam quickly tugged the material away before throwing it over Jane's shoulder, watching as it landed on the concrete. She was dimly aware of Sam lifting her upwards and his hand brushed against her leg, feeling the tension that resided there. He knew that this was perhaps going to be a quicker affair than the evening before but sometimes, being quick was a necessity but it didn't have to take away from the intimacy of the moment.

Sam easily managed to angle her body towards him and as Jane pulled him closer to her, their hips came together. He was deliberately taking his time to penetrate her but Jane's soft moan in his ear soon brought him to his senses, he had teased her for long enough. Those few moments in which he held off entering her womanhood seemed never-ending for Jane; she was desperate for some kind of release. When Sam did finally enter her, a satisfied moan emanated from her lips and it only served to make him more determined to please her. Sam hoped he'd done a good job of it the night before; he hadn't had any complaints about his performance in that department for quite some time and Jane certainly hadn't made any the night before, he wanted to make this time just as good as the time before, even if it did turn out to be quick.

His initial thrust inside her was shallow and he pulled almost all the way out before thrusting himself forwards once again, pitching himself deeper inside her. Sam's thrusts began to gather in pace as he settled into a rhythm and Jane met each of his forward thrusts with her hips. Her fingers interlinked at the back of his neck once more and her lips crashed down upon his, kissing him hungrily as the pace of Sam's movements increased to reflect his determination to bring her to a satisfying climax. A succession of curse words, emanating from first Sam's lips and then Jane's, along with a recurrent slap of skin-on-skin and the occasional splash were the only sounds that could be heard from his terrace.

Jane soon began to clench around him and in reaction to her movement, Sam's right hand slid from her waist and his fingers found her clit. His fingers circled the aching bud slowly but relentlessly, that coupled with one final thrust was enough to send Jane hurtling headlong into a blissful oblivion. Once he had coaxed Jane through her climax, it was time for her to do the same for him, his climax was equally as reserved as Jane's had been beforehand, but that certainly didn't detract from the satisfaction of the act.

Jane unfurled her legs from around Sam's waist and rested against the side of the pool, "woah," she exclaimed when she'd finally got her breath back, "that was something else."

Sam nodded his head in agreement, "you're telling me," he replied.

Jane smiled at him and silence descended between the two of them, Sam was entranced by her, particularly the way the small beads of water from the pool trickled slowly between her breasts. He pressed a soft kiss to her lips; Jane reciprocated and was slightly disappointed when he broke away. "I want to take you out to dinner tonight," he announced.

A soft smile lit up Jane's face, "really?" she questioned.

Sam nodded his head, "really," he confirmed, "I just want to make the most of the time we have together," he added, "so what do you say?"

"Yeah, I'd like that,"

"That's sorted then,"

Sam pressed one last kiss to Jane's waiting lips and hoisted himself out of the pool; she watched and smirked to herself as he went back inside the penthouse. She had a very good feeling about spending the next couple of days in the company of Sam Carmichael, if the past hour or so was anything to go by, the remainder of their time together was going to be spectacular.

* * *

 **Comments please? You never know, the next chapter could be with you sooner than you think ;)  
**

 **x**


	4. Opening Up

**For Laura, because I know how much she wants to read this.**

* * *

 **Chapter Four: Opening Up**

Sam's eyes flew open as the early morning New York sunshine began to filter through the small gap that had been left in the curtains. He looked to his right and smiled as he saw Jane still sleeping beside him, they had fallen asleep in the spooning position the night before and she still slept with her back to him; from that, Sam deduced that she had slept as peacefully as he had done the night before. He looked past her and up at the clock upon the bedside table, it read 7:49 and he realised that he would soon have to wake her up, his time with her was limited and he wanted to make the most of every precious second that he had with her. It was corny, he knew that, but that was how he felt. Sam shuffled towards her, resting a hand against her side beneath the sheet as his lips met the join between her neck and her shoulder, briefly kissing her there before beginning to move upwards, over her neck. He felt Jane beginning to wriggle in his embrace as she responded to his sensual kisses, "mmm, there's something about that wake-up call that I just can't resist," she murmured softly in her half-asleep state as she slowly opened her eyes.

"And good morning to you Jane," he eventually responded to her.

Jane looked up at the bedside clock and stifled a yawn, "is this what you call morning?" she questioned sleepily, "it's still early."

If Jane had gotten her way, she'd have slept until midday, she was never at her best first thing in the morning and she had hoped that Sam would've just left her to sleep. After having such a busy day with the family for Luke's graduation the day before, Jane would've loved to have caught up on some sleep. Sam, on the other hand, clearly had other ideas, "I know it is," he told her, "but I've made plans for today, and these plans require us both to get up."

Upon hearing Sam's words, Jane threw Sam's hand from her side and rolled onto her back, raising her eyebrows in his direction as she glanced up at him, "these plans of yours…they don't have anything to do with where you disappeared off to last night?" she questioned softly.

True to his word, Sam had taken Jane out to dinner the night before; he had reserved a table at his favourite restaurant, an Italian not too far out of the way, but he had disappeared not long after they had ordered their main course to take a call. He didn't return for fifteen minutes and Jane wondered why he had been gone so long; she was immediately suspicious of his disappearance, wondering what, if anything, he was keeping from her. Jane hadn't wanted to spoil the evening so she hadn't questioned him at the time about his disappearance; she had extended her stay on the East Coast to spend some time with him and she hoped that it wasn't a decision that she'd be made to regret…

"Maybe," Sam eventually responded mysteriously as he sat up in the king-size bed, "now, get a move on and get dressed, I want to be off in an hour," he added as he leant downwards to kiss her forehead before climbing out of bed.

Jane was still curious about Sam's plans, but she tried to keep it under wraps, "where are you going?" she asked him.

He smiled as he looked towards her, "I was going to get a coffee, did you want one too?" he responded.

Jane grinned and nodded her head, "yes please, black, no sugar," she told him, making sure he was aware of her coffee preferences.

Sam laughed softly, "coming right up," he replied, smiling in her direction as he left the Master Bedroom to head for the kitchen.

Jane relaxed back against the pillows, she knew she had to get ready but she needed a few minutes to wake herself up properly first, the coffee would help with that as well, it usually did. Sam came back into the Master Bedroom with her black coffee and placed it on the bedside cabinet beside her, he leant across and pressed a soft, solitary kiss to Jane's lips before wandering over his closet. "Thanks for this Sam," she said as she started sipping from the mug, watching as he pulled out a shirt and put it on.

"My pleasure," Sam responded as he buttoned up the shirt and adjusted the collar. He then pulled on pair of chinos before picking up his wallet off the side-table, "I've got a couple of things I need to pick up before we go, will you be alright here on your own?"

Jane nodded her head, "I'll be fine," she reassured him, "I thought you wanted to be off in an hour though."

"I do, but I'll be back," he insisted to her, "you'd better pack a holdall or something as well."

Once again, Jane was suspicious about what Sam was planning for her, but she kept that to herself, "I'll be ready to go when you come back," she told him.

Jane sounded a lot more certain about that than she felt; in a way, she hoped that Sam errands took him longer to complete than he anticipated, buying her a little bit more time to get herself ready. "I'll see you in a bit," Sam eventually said, blowing her a kiss before leaving the Master Bedroom.

Jane heard the apartment door close a few moments later and she smiled to herself as she finished her black coffee. It took another five minutes for her to drag herself out of bed and into the en-suite. She soon regretted not getting out of bed as soon as Sam had left, she was up against it as she was. Jane wanted to make an effort and freshen herself up before Sam whisked her away; she wondered, not for the first time, what he had planned for that day and decided that she couldn't wait to find out. One thing she was certain of was the fact that she had never met another man quite like him, he definitely was one in a million.

* * *

"Are you still not going to tell me where you're taking me?" Jane asked him, almost impatiently, as she stood beside his Aston Martin Cabriolet, watching as he loaded their bags into the boot of his car.

Jane lowered her sunglasses as he closed the boot and checked him out; he was looking rather dashing in his casual chinos and shirt with the top two buttons undone, and she couldn't help standing and admiring him. Sam shook his head at her defiantly as he moved to stand in front of her, "that would spoil the surprise Jane," he replied, "I hope you'll like it as much as I think you will though," he added sincerely.

Jane smiled back at him and in that moment, decided that she didn't mind the secrecy that surrounded their trip that day. She may not have known him for long but she knew that whatever he had planned for the two of them that day, had been planned with the sole intention of making sure she enjoyed her extended stay in New York, and didn't come to regret it. Jane reverie was soon broken through as Sam opened up the passenger's door so that she could get in; she looked up at him and smiled, "thank you," she told him softly, leaning upwards to press a soft kiss to his cheek as she spoke.

Sam nodded his head in acknowledgement of her words, "you don't have to thank me," he insisted.

"But I want to," Jane told him defiantly, "you didn't have to do all this for me."

Sam had his reasons for wanting to do this for her, but he didn't want to divulge them until they reached their destination, his rationale for all of this would only make sense once they were there. "Have I told you yet this morning how beautiful you're looking today?" he asked her flirtatiously.

Jane's cheeks flushed slightly as he complimented her, "you might've done," she responded teasingly as she looked up at him, biting her lip softly as she did so.

Sam grinned and leant down to kiss her, Jane softly kissed him back but broke away before it got too intense. "We'd better be making a move," she murmured softly to him, pecking his lips just once more before stepping back.

"You don't even know where we're going," Sam reminded her.

"I know," Jane responded, "this had better be worth it, I've not even had breakfast," she added, almost in complaint.

Sam laughed, "we'll have something to eat once we get there," he assured her, "now, are you going to get in?"

Jane nodded her head and finally climbed into the passenger's seat; Sam closed the door once she was seated and strode around to the driver's side. He climbed into the car beside her and before too long, their journey out of the busy city had begun, destination unknown, at least it was to Jane.

* * *

Before too long, Sam was bombing along the Long Island Expressway, whisking Jane closer and closer to their destination, although she didn't know that just yet. She looked out of the window, watching as the scenery changed from urban to rural, and then to coastal as they drifted further along the Expressway. Jane deduced they were heading towards the beach judging by the scenery, but she couldn't guess any more than that as Sam was still refusing to divulge where he was taking her. She felt touched that he was going to such an effort to ensure that she enjoyed her extended stay on the East Coast; she could barely remember the last time any man had done anything like that for her. Jake certainly had done in the early years of their marriage but once the children came along, the time for spontaneity was gone too.

The fact that she was flying back to Santa Barbara early the next evening meant that this was the only full day they had together for the time being but she tried not to let that get to her. She wanted to make the most of the time they still had together so she forced all thoughts about what would happen beyond the next evening to the back of her mind. Jane knew she'd have to think about it soon, but she wanted to enjoy that day to the fullest extent before she allowed herself to dwell upon what would happen to them once she left New York to go back home. The radio was playing softly in the background and Jane began to sing along to the songs the local radio station was playing, she felt relaxed, contented even. Back home in Santa Barbara, she had the business to run and she was constantly on-call in case any of her children needed her but here, she had none of that, no responsibilities and that enabled to kick back and relax; it was very freeing for her to say the least. Sam heard her soft singing and smiled as he listened to her for a few brief seconds, "we're almost there Jane," he eventually told her as they joined the queue of traffic waiting to swing onto the Sunrise Highway exit.

"Oh, we are, are we?" she gently teased him.

Sam nodded his head in response to her words, "not long now until we reach our destination, and you'll soon know why I brought you here."

"I can't wait," Jane told him.

She meant it, she really did. Jane had been really intrigued by the secrecy in which Sam had shrouded this trip but now, she wanted to find out where she was being taken and why he had chosen this particular place. She would find out both soon enough…

* * *

Eventually, Sam pulled the car into the driveway of his house in the Hamptons and once he had parked it, he switched the ignition off and turned to face Jane, "here we are," he said to her.

Jane couldn't speak as she looked up at the two-storey building built before her. With its white marble pillars and its arched glass windows, it looked like the perfect coastal retreat. "This is yours?" she asked him in awe, finding it incredible that he could not only own that massive penthouse back in New York, but also this place as well.

Sam nodded his head, "this is more of a holiday home for me and the kids though, it's handy if we ever decide we want a spontaneous getaway," he explained to her.

Jane smiled at him, "they're not here now, are they?" she asked him cautiously.

They had barely known each other a couple of days, so the thought of his children being at the holiday home filled Jane with dread. It just wasn't the right time to be meeting them; they had to decide whether this was going anywhere before she even thought about meeting his kids, and she thought about letting Sam meet hers. He reached across to take her hand, "they're not here," he reassured her, "I made sure they weren't last night, that's why I disappeared during dinner," he added, Jane breathed a sigh of relief as she heard his words, "are you coming in?" he finished.

Jane nodded, "I'm coming in," she confirmed to him.

Sam smiled at her, leaning across to kiss her just the once before he took the keys out of the ignition and got out of the car, wandering casually round to the passenger's side and he opened the door for Jane. She smiled up at him, "nice to know the age of chivalry isn't dead," she told him, taking hold of his hand as she climbed out of the car.

Sam grinned and glanced over her, watching her skirt ride up slightly as she climbed out of the vehicle, unintentionally revealing her legs to him more than she had intended. "I've always been known for my chivalrous ways," he told her as he shut the passenger's door and made a move to retrieve their bags from the boot of the car.

"Hmmm, really?" she teased him.

Not long afterwards, Sam took Jane's hand and carried their bags over his shoulder as he led her up the driveway. They stopped outside the front door and Sam deposited their bags in the front porch, giving him a free hand to fish out the house keys from his jeans pocket. He soon found the keys and opened the door, stepping aside to let Jane enter first before picking up their bags and following her into the hallway.

Sam closed and locked the door behind the two of them and he watched as Jane took in her surroundings, "come on," he murmured softly as he took her hand once more, "I'll show you upstairs to the bedroom, and then I'll give you the grand tour."

Jane entwined her fingers with his and followed him up the staircase. Sam soon stopped outside the bedroom door and released Jane's hand so that he could push open the bedroom door. Once again, he stepped aside to allow her to enter first; she did just that and looked around the spacious Master Bedroom. The four-poster bed with wood fixtures stood not too far away from the door, facing the sliding doors that led out onto the balcony. The private balcony offered the two of them a glorious view of the beach, it wasn't too far away from the house after all. The wood flooring and the furnishings dotted about the bedroom gave the room a modern feel and Jane rather liked it. She heard Sam put the bags down beside the closet and she turned to face him, "what do you think?" he asked her softly.

Jane grinned in his direction, "it's beautiful," she told him, "you're so lucky to have this place," she added.

Sam nodded his head, "I know," he responded, "it's nice to have some place to escape to when things get tough in the city," he added. Jane agreed with him, knowing that sometimes, an escape from real-life wasn't always such a bad thing. "Do you want breakfast first, or the grand tour?" he eventually asked her.

The mere mention of food made Jane remember that the two of them had skipped breakfast earlier that morning. She was hungry but at the same time, she wanted to see the rest of the house. "The grand tour," she decided.

Sam grabbed her hand and began to lead her out of the Master Bedroom, "come on then," he said to her.

Jane smiled and followed Sam out onto the landing, allowing him to continue the tour of his house.

* * *

Once the grand tour had been completed, Sam decided to cook himself and Jane something to eat. He was beginning to get hungry and he sensed that Jane probably was as well, especially as they had skipped breakfast that morning to get there. Jane helped him set the table outside beside the swimming pool and sat herself down to await the feast that Sam was preparing. He soon brought out a tray laden with delicacies for the two of them to snack on; he had prepared English muffins, almond croissants, French toast with strawberries and sugar and to finish it off nicely, a pot of fresh berries. "Are you OK Jane?" he asked softly as he sat down opposite her and poured Jane a glass of orange juice.

Sam had noticed that she had been a bit quiet since he had finished showing her around the house and he wondered what was on her mind. Jane smiled towards him as she sipped at the orange juice he had poured, she had heard his words but at that moment, wasn't too sure how to respond to him. "I'm fine," she assured him, "it's just…" she trailed off as she tried to marshal her thoughts. "You're a good-looking guy and you must have women fawning over you all the time. I guess I just can't help wondering how many other women you've brought up here, and whether I'm just another in a long line," she explained to him, hoping he'd understand where she was coming from.

Sam understood, and he felt that he now had the perfect opportunity to explain why he had decided to bring her there in the first place. He had held back on revealing why ever since they arrived because the moment wasn't right, and now it was. He reached across the table and took her hand in his, "I don't make a habit of bringing women up here," he confessed to her, "I think, before you, the last woman to come up here with me was my step-daughter."

Jane hadn't expected that to be his answer, but despite that, she couldn't explain why she felt so relieved to hear him say those words. It didn't explain why he had chosen to bring her though, "why bring me then?" she asked him gently as she started to eat her French toast.

Sam smiled towards her, stroking over the top of her hand as he finished a piece of the almond croissant he had broken off after his confession. "I figured that you'd probably had a busy couple of days," he started, "and I thought that you could use some downtime. For that, this place is perfect, no interruptions and none of the hustle and bustle of city life. It's so peaceful out here, I love it, and I hoped that you would do as well," he added, "and, if I'm honest, I wanted somewhere where we could spend some time together, just the two of us."

Jane felt her heart beginning to thump in her chest as she listened to his words; she could scarcely believe that he had gone to all this effort for her, just so that she could have a bit of downtime after a busy couple of days. "Thank you," she told him simply, "I can't believe you did all this for me."

Sam smiled at her, "we all need a bit of a break sometimes," he reminded her, "there's no harm in taking time out once in a while."

Jane agreed but before she had met him, she hadn't really had anyone to take time out with. Right now, she could genuinely see their romance going somewhere, and Sam becoming a permanent fixture in her life. She couldn't be sure that he felt the same way though; it was still early days after all. Perhaps this getaway to the Hamptons would give them both the chance to take stock of the situation as it was and work out what to do about their budding romance once Jane flew back to Santa Barbara the next evening. Their breakfast continued, they fed each other scraps of food and talked about their respective lives in Santa Barbara and New York. The most important thing for the two of them in that moment though, was the fact that they were together, existing purely for the other, if only for that one day.

* * *

"That was delicious Sam," Jane complimented him a while later as she wiped away the last morsels of their meal from around her lips, "is there no end to your talents?" she questioned, teasing him flirtatiously at the same time.

Sam grinned softly in her direction as he finished off his orange juice and not long afterwards, he rose from his seat at the table and began to clear away their empty plates. "If you stick around long enough, you might just find out," he muttered in her ear as he kissed the top of her head and moved into the kitchen with the plates.

Jane couldn't even put into words how he was making her feel at that moment; she was feeling all manner of different things at the same time and she hadn't felt like this about a bloke for so long. She could scarcely believe that he was interested in her in the same way that she was in him, but it seemed that he was. He was a very attractive bloke and he really could've had any woman he wanted, but in that moment, she was all that he wanted. In Sam, Jane had found someone that she really seemed to connect with; she certainly enjoyed his company and he was very easy on the eye too. As she had gotten older though, Jane had found that the latter wasn't as important a quality as it had been many years beforehand so it had surprised her even more that she had been as drawn to Sam as she was, but she wasn't complaining at all. "Do you want some help with the dishes?" Jane eventually called after him.

"Nope, I'm fine," Sam called back as he loaded the dishes into the dishwasher.

Jane finished her orange juice and stood up; she took her glass into the kitchen and put it down upon the work-top. "I'm just gonna go and change," she murmured softly to him, "it's getting a bit warm out there."

Sam nodded, acknowledging her words, "I'll have a coffee ready for you when you come down," he told her softly, pausing slightly before continuing, "that's if you want one?" he added inquiringly.

She smiled in his direction, "I never turn down coffee," she told him, "I'll be as quick as I can," she added as she kissed his cheek and quickly darted out of the kitchen.

Sam watched as she disappeared out of the kitchen and heard her go upstairs to change. He was so happy that she had approved of his surprise getaway and it made him even more determined to make the break as enjoyable as possible for her, he wanted to get to know her properly and felt that she wanted the same thing as well.

* * *

It didn't take long for Jane to change into her favourite white and gold bikini and she was soon back downstairs. Sam was still making their coffees when she re-entered the kitchen and she tiptoed quietly towards him, Jane's lips landed upon his bare back and she kissed him there to get his attention. He had clearly removed his shirt in the few minutes that had elapsed since she'd left him; Sam quickly spun around as he felt Jane's lips upon his back. Unsurprisingly, his jaw dropped at the sight of her in her bikini once again, she wasn't even wearing a shirt over the top this time, obviously, the peace and tranquillity that surrounded them made her feel less inhibited about wandering around in just her bikini. "You are so beautiful," he murmured softly to her, re-affirming what he had said to her earlier that morning.

Jane grinned at him, checking him out at the same time, "you definitely don't look too bad yourself," she responded, returning his compliment.

Sam grinned back at her, "there's your coffee," he said to her as he passed over a steaming mug of black coffee.

"Thanks," Jane responded as she took the mug from him and handed him a bottle of sun-tan lotion, "would you mind?" she asked him, she'd managed to do her front while she was changing but she couldn't reach around far enough to do her back, and that was why she needed Sam.

He raised his eyebrows suggestively in her direction, "course not," he told her, "go and park yourself on one of the sun-loungers and I'll come and sort you out in a minute."

Jane leant upwards and kissed him softly on the cheek before heading out of the kitchen once more. She approached one of the sun-loungers and put her coffee down beside it before spreading herself out upon the lounger, lying as flat as she could upon her stomach so that Sam could put the sun-cream on her back. Sam joined her outside a few moments later, putting his coffee down beside the sun-lounger next to Jane's. Moments later, he was on top of her and Jane gasped out loud as she felt his weight upon her, it was a quite a turn-on for her in the current situation. It wasn't meant to have been a sexual thing, but it was getting to be that way; she sensed that Sam was beginning to feel the same way too. "This is becoming quite a turn-on for you, isn't it?" Jane murmured seductively as she tried to turn her head to get a look at him, she didn't really succeed.

"It might be," Sam told her mysteriously as he squeezed the cream into the palms of his hands before he began to massage the lotion into her back.

Jane groaned softly as she felt his hands moving slowly over her back, rubbing the sun-cream in as thoroughly as he could, he even allowed his hands to wander over those places that the sun wouldn't reach. Sam heard no words of protestation from Jane so he carried on his ministrations until he was sure he'd covered her back completely in the protective lotion. "All done," he finally murmured to Jane as he swooped down upon her to kiss her exposed neck before settling himself down beside her.

Jane rolled onto her back and smiled up at him, "thank you," she said as she took the lotion from him, "now it's your turn."

Sam complied wordlessly with her request and settled himself upon his stomach; Jane straddled his thighs and leant over him, her lips landed upon the back of his neck and she kissed him there softly but sensually at the same time. Sam gasped beneath her and Jane's lips curved into a smirk against him, pleased that she was getting the desired response from him. She descended lower, kissing over his bare back with a deeper sensuality before eventually pulling away and squeezing the lotion from the bottle onto his back. The cream felt cool upon Sam's warm skin and he gasped at the sensation of that but soon enough, he felt Jane rubbing the lotion into his back; the slow, circular movements she made as she did so caused Sam to gasp even further. He could see why Jane had asked if this was becoming quite a turn-on for him, feeling her straddle his body was beginning to have the same effect upon him as he sensed it had done on her

When Jane had done, Sam rolled onto his back and eventually sat up, reaching down for his coffee before bringing the mug to his lips. She settled herself in between Sam's legs and reached for her own mug of coffee too, they sipped their drinks in silence and that silence was only broken when Sam finished his coffee and set his empty mug down beside the sun-lounger. Jane finished hers a few moments later and put her mug down beside Sam's, she settled back into his embrace and his arms became draped over her body; one over her shoulder and the other against her waist. Sam's lips landed upon her shoulder and he kissed her there briefly, "I want to get to know you properly," he eventually announced.

Sam's words made Jane smile, but he couldn't see it, "I'm not stopping you," she replied as her hand settled on top of his against her stomach.

He laughed at her response, "I know, I just had to be sure I wouldn't get my head bitten off for asking questions,"

"Go ahead and ask away, as long as I get to do a bit of probing too,"

"It's a deal," Sam said to her, "I've got nothing to hide."

"You go first then, you started this,"

"OK then," Sam agreed and he paused for a few moments as he worked out what he wanted to ask her, he eventually came up with something, "tell me one thing I'd be surprised to learn about you?"

"Hmmm," Jane muttered as she contemplated an answer to Sam's question, "I think you'd probably be surprised to learn that you're only the second bloke I've been with since myself and Jake broke up," she added.

"Really?" Sam asked her, he was surprised for sure, "how come?"

Jane turned her head to look at him, "it took me a good few years to get over my divorce because as a result of my experience with Jake, it made me very picky about who I got involved with. I guess I feared getting involved with anyone in case they ended up cheating on me, and leaving me for a younger model, like Jake ended up doing," she admitted to him.

Apart from her girlfriends back in Santa Barbara, he was the only person she had confided in about how badly she had been affected by her divorce from Jake. Looking back upon it at that moment, Jane hated how cynical the divorce had made her but being here with Sam now had made her realise that not all men were going to turn out to be cheaters, like Jake had done. Jane's honesty had caught Sam slightly off-guard slightly and it took him a few moments to respond to her, "Jake clearly never realised he'd be worse off without you," he finally stated, "I'd never have left you, because I know when I'm onto something good," he added, "now, come on, ask me a question," he finished as he lightly tapped her thigh.

Jane had been prepared for this and already had a question lined up for him, "would you consider yourself to be a spontaneous bloke?" she asked him.

"Is spontaneity important to you?" he asked her, cheekily ducking the question, albeit temporarily.

"Quit answering questions with questions Carmichael," Jane told him as she playfully slapped his arm, "just answer the question."

"OK, OK," Sam gave in to her, mulling over how to answer her, "I like to surprise the women I date, and show my appreciation for them in ways they're not really expecting," he explained to her, "you should already know this, I surprised you with this getaway, didn't I?"

"I guess that was a rather silly question," Jane conceded as she leant upwards and pressed her lips to his own, "Jake was good at surprising me before the kids came along. Once we had them, the time for being spontaneous went with them."

"It happens, sadly," Sam responded to her, "especially when you have children, they have to come first, don't they?"

Jane nodded against him, "a little spontaneity once in a while wouldn't have hurt," she muttered, "it makes me wonder whether to him, I went from being a wife and lover to a wife and mother when I had the kids and therefore, he just stopped making the effort," she added sadly.

Sam instinctively held her closer as she spoke, "Jake didn't deserve you," he told her softly as he kissed over her earlobe.

"I know that now," Jane told him, "I just couldn't see it at the time," she added. Silence fell between the two of them but Jane soon broke it again, "can I ask you another question?"

"Of course you can,"

"If you had to choose, would you rather be good-looking or rich?"

"That's a good question," Sam mused out loud, "I'd rather be good-looking because money isn't everything in life."

Jane smirked at his words, "says you," she teased him.

"I know, but I don't just consider myself rich in terms of how much money I have, I'd also consider myself rich in the sense that my life is rich with love. I mean, from my two sons and my step-daughter, I just need the love of an incredible woman and I'll be happy,"

Jane frowned slightly at his words, "you're not happy now?" she asked him, feeling slightly hurt by his words.

"I am," Sam insisted as he leant down to kiss her softly on the lips, "this is the happiest I've been for some time, and it's all because I'm here with you."

His words meant more to him that Jane could adequately explain and she couldn't resist leaning upwards to kiss him once more. Sam briefly kissed her back but soon pulled away, "can I ask you final question, for now?" he asked her softly.

Jane nodded her head, "you may,"

Sam felt a little bit nervous about asking his final question because he wondered whether it was too soon to be asking it, after all, they'd barely known each other a couple of days. He wanted to hear her answer, so he couldn't back out now, "where do you see the two of us being in five years' time?" Sam eventually asked her rather tentatively.

To say Jane was a tad surprised by his question was putting it mildly, she hadn't expected it at all and at that moment, she had no idea how to answer him. "Oh God, I have absolutely no idea, it's not something I've really thought about," she admitted to him.

"That's OK," he assured her, "just think about it now, and then answer."

Jane fell silent as she contemplated how to go about answering him. She was in two minds; she found the question intriguing because she wondered where he thought they would be in five years' time but at the same time, it bred an in-built sense of panic because at that moment, she didn't want to look that far into the future, even though it was only hypothetical for now. She just wanted to stay in the here and now, with him. "So, in five years' time," she eventually started, "I'd hope that we'd still be together, maybe married and perhaps embarking on our own architectural project back in Santa Barbara. I know that New York is your home and your life is here right now, but it would mean the world to me if you did eventually decide to come and join me on the West Coast."

Sam smiled contentedly as he listened to her words, she could not have known that he was hoping she would say something along those lines. He wanted that too but at that moment, he didn't want to tell her for fear of scaring her off, however, things between the two of them were moving pretty fast already, his confession would be in-keeping with that theme. With that in mind, he bit the bullet, "I hoped you'd say something along those lines," Sam eventually told her as she rested her head against his chest.

Jane looked up towards him, "you'd like that too?" she asked him.

Sam nodded, "I would," he confirmed softly to her.

In that moment, they both came to a realisation; their relationship was going to get serious. Sam's confession to her probably should've scared her, and it surprised her to say the least that things were progressing so quickly and she wasn't desperate to apply the brakes to the situation, and she sensed that Sam wasn't either. In previous relationships, the idea of too much commitment too soon had put her off quite spectacularly, but this time, it hadn't. It was becoming ever clearer to her that in more ways than one, the short space of time in which she had known Sam Carmichael had changed her life completely...

* * *

 **You never know, a few comments might make for a slightly quicker update ;)**

 **xx**


	5. Reawakening The Wild Side

**Chapter Five: Reawakening The Wild Side**

"I fancy a swim," Jane suddenly announced as she sat herself up in Sam's embrace.

The two of them had exchanged precious few words since their previous conversation had been brought to a close, but that wasn't because either of them had felt it had ended on an awkward note. Far from it, the two of them were already so comfortable in the presence of the other that they didn't feel that every moment they spent together needed to be filled with inane chatter. Sam had shut his eyes to the blinding early afternoon sunshine so Jane's words took him a little bit by surprise, he opened his eyes as she gently tapped his arms, "oh you do, do you?" he muttered softly as he released Jane from his embrace.

She nodded her head against Sam before turning around to face him; Jane climbed on top of him, straddling his waist as her hands came to rest upon his broad shoulders, "do you fancy joining me?" she questioned suggestively.

Jane's gaze remained fixed upon him and Sam's was upon her, but inevitably slipped downwards as she reached up to adjust her bikini top. She did it on purpose, and Sam knew she had done too; he smirked up at her, it amazed him that he could be so easily turned on by her, despite barely knowing her two days. The attraction between them was clear and felt by her as well as him so really, it wasn't hard for him to feel so turned on by her. Jane smirked back at him, it was enough to make him realise that she too had felt the stirring of the erection still contained in his chinos, "do you know how much these cost?" he questioned, teasing her softly.

Jane shook her head in response to him and subtly bit her lip before she spoke again, "you must've packed some shorts," she said to him as she leant down to kiss him.

Sam kissed her back and didn't respond until he broke away, "I did," he told her, "but right now, I'm perfectly happy to enjoy the view," he added, winking cheekily as he flattened his hands against her thighs.

She could hardly believe how his words were making her feel, it was yet another assurance to her that he did find her as attractive as she did him; it was amazing for her to have that from him so soon in their blossoming romance. Jane shook her head in his direction, "your loss Carmichael," she eventually told him as she leant down to kiss him once more before she finally climbed off him.

Sam relaxed back against the sun-lounger once more and watched as Jane turned her back on him and began to wander towards the pool. She was clearly aware that his gaze was upon her so she swung her hips provocatively from side-to-side as she moved; just that one simple movement was enough to leave him transfixed by her. Sam hadn't been in this position for a while, with a woman whose company he enjoyed and also found really attractive. He'd had a few serious relationships since his marriage had been dissolved but more recently, he had found that he lacked a connection with his female companions. He blamed that on the fact that most of the women that seemed to hit on him nowadays were as young as his own step-daughter, and the thought of getting involved with someone of that age repulsed him. Sam was grateful he had found Jane when he had done, and he was determined to make things work between them, whatever the cost.

He watched as Jane stood at the edge of the pool and turned back to face him, "are you sure I can't tempt you?" she asked him once more.

Jane smiled sweetly towards him as her fingers reached upwards to toy with the straps of her bikini as she awaited Sam's answer. At first, Sam shook his head but the smile upon his face told her that he wasn't going to turn her down a second time. He eventually got up and approached her at the pools edge, "you make it so difficult for me to turn you down, you know that?" he told her softly.

Jane laughed at his words, "it's not all my fault," she pointed out to him.

"How do you figure that out?" Sam shot back teasingly at her, "I wouldn't find it so hard to turn you down if I didn't find you so ridiculously attractive."

He watched as Jane's cheeks flushed slightly in response to his words; his string of compliments had a profound effect upon Jane personally, Sam made her feel so good about herself and she couldn't remember the last time she had been so deeply affected by a bloke's words. "Well, the feeling is entirely mutual," she eventually told him, "now, are you going to join me or not? This is your last chance and I won't be asking again."

Sam smirked at her and nodded his head, "I'll just go and change, you get in and I'll join you in a few minutes," he said to her.

Jane grinned at him and leant upwards to kiss him; Sam kissed her back and could've let the kiss linger for a few moments longer but he chose not to. He slowly broke away and winked in her direction before leaving her at the pool-side to change into his swimming shorts. She watched him as he disappeared from view and she sat herself down at the edge of the pool, her deep-red varnished toes lightly skimming the warm water in the heated swimming pool. Jane soon became lost in her thoughts as she recalled what had occurred between herself and Sam back at his penthouse the previous afternoon; it had perhaps one of the most intense moments of her life, she couldn't fathom how he managed to reawaken her wild side, the wild side that she thought had died when she had given birth to her children. Jane was still completely enveloped in her thoughts when Sam re-emerged after changing into his swimming shorts, she was only pulled out of her reverie when he bent down and kissed the top of her head. "Are you OK Jane?" he asked her softly as he sat himself down beside her at the pools edge.

Jane nodded her head and smiled in his direction as he slid into the warm water, "I'm fine," she responded as Sam slowly parted her legs and stood in between them, "I was just thinking, that's all."

Sam saw her smile at him and knew from that that her thoughts were nothing for him to worry about, but he couldn't help being intrigued by what was going on inside her head. "What were you thinking about?" he asked her softly as his lips landed upon her legs and tenderly kissed her there.

Jane grinned at him, knowing that her thoughts would be of a great deal of interest to him, "I was recalling the last time we were together in a swimming pool," she murmured softly to him.

She knew she wouldn't need to say anymore; the encounter was just as memorable for Sam as it had been for her after all. "I remember," he responded simply, "I'm hardly likely to forget it in a hurry."

Jane smiled appreciatively at his words, the sincerity in what he said was clear to her and it meant so much to her to hear them. Sam wasn't saying the words he thought she wanted to hear, nor had he said what he did to win her over. No, he had uttered them because to him, they were true, and he wanted Jane to know what he was thinking too. Once again, a comfortable silence had descended between the two of them and Sam reached for Jane's hands, enclosing them in his own before he caught her off-guard and pulled her into the swimming pool with him. She squealed in surprise as she hit the water and playfully splashed him in retaliation, "was that really necessary?" Sam asked her teasingly as he splashed her back.

Jane laughed at him, "I thought so," she responded, "I don't think there was any need to pull me into the pool."

"I wanted you in here,"

"I was getting there,"

"Not quick enough for my liking,"

Jane smiled at him, "you have no patience Carmichael," she playfully admonished him as she draped her arms over his broad and naked shoulders, allowing her fingers to interlink against the back of his neck.

"I love it when you call me that," Sam told her as he raised his eyebrows to make his point.

"Do you really?" Jane asked, teasing him once more, "I'll have to remember that," she added.

Their flirtatious banter thrilled her; it echoed that of a couple in a long-term relationship but that was not them, they'd barely known each other two days and Jane had to remind herself of that sometimes. It should've scared her, the flirtatious nature of their banter should've already sent her running for the hills, but she hadn't, she was still there, with him, and loving every second of it. "I want to go for a swim," she told him, pouting softly up at him afterwards.

"I'm not stopping you," Sam pointed out.

They both knew that was a lie, his hands had found their way onto her waist and had encircled Jane, stopping her from moving too far, "I think we both know that's not true," she teased him softly as she ran her hands over his damp chest. She could've thrown him off but in that moment, she didn't want to and deep down, Sam knew that too. The moment was soon lost as Jane's hands reached beneath the water and came to rest on top of his against her waist, eventually lifting them from her. "I'm going for a swim now," she told him decisively.

Sam nodded his head as he moved to stand beside her, lifting his arms so that his elbows rested upon the concrete surface, "off you go then," he said to her.

It sounded like he was desperate to get rid of her but that couldn't have been further from the truth; she wanted to have a swim, and he was happy to let her. Sam watched as Jane began to swim to the opposite end of the swimming pool; he was perfectly content to watch her for the time being but when she started swimming her third length, he decided to join her. Sam took off after her and eventually reached her as she completed her third length of the pool. He reached out for her, wrapping his arms around her waist and swept her wet hair to one side before pressing an array of hungry kisses to the back of her neck. A soft laugh emanated from Jane's lips as his lips softly kissed her there, "I love being kissed there," she admitted to him.

Sam paused behind her, his lips hovering dangerously close to her earlobe as he thought about answering her, "I'll have to remember that," he eventually murmured softly to her.

Jane's heart fluttered in her chest as she listened to his words; she couldn't deny that she felt incredibly flattered by Sam's words, his steady stream of compliments made her feel so good about herself and perhaps made her realise she was neither as old nor unattractive as she felt at times. She had insecurities, just like every other woman that she knew; it had already been established that Sam did find her genuinely attractive and his insistence at this made her concerns seem fleeting, she seemed to forget about most things when she was with him.

Jane turned around in his arms so that her gaze landed upon him, and he looked towards her, watching as she draped her arms over his shoulders. Her hands interlinked, cradling the back of his neck; Jane could feel the intensity of the moment and she hoped that Sam did as well. He certainly did, but at that moment, he wasn't prepared to do anything about it, and neither was she; it was as though they were testing each other, trying to ascertain who would be the most likely to give in. Eventually, Jane gave in, she couldn't hold back any longer; her lips landed upon his and she gasped in surprise against him as he immediately responded to her kiss, he was clearly on the verge of giving in too because she didn't think his response would've been so quick otherwise. She groaned softly as his tongue found hers and stroked over it as their intensely passionate kiss carried on. Jane's hands moved from the back of Sam's neck and started to stroke over his body; she started at his shoulders before moving over his chest, caressing his wet chest with her equally wet fingertips. Their kiss continued as her hands continued their exploration of his body and soon descended beneath the surface of the water. They soon met the waistband of his shorts and her fingers slipped beneath the elastic, slowly but surely inching the garment downwards until the material pooled at Sam's feet. Moments later, Jane broke away and the abrupt end to their kiss took him by surprise a little bit; he saw her lift herself out of the pool and then he looked down and saw his state of undress, then it became clear that this had been her plan all along. "What was that meant to achieve?" he said to her, he might have sounded annoyed by her stunt but deep down, he was amused that she clearly found it so funny.

Jane shrugged her shoulders as she looked down at him, "I thought I'd see if you'd be so willing to chase after me if you didn't have the shorts to cover yourself," she responded, winking at him as she spoke.

Sam shook his head and tutted lightly in response to her words, he dived underwater to retrieve his shorts and Jane watched him as he did so. He soon broke through the surface water and hauled himself out of the pool, sodden shorts in hand; he now stood at the edge of the pool stark naked and Jane smiled contentedly as he faced her, softly biting her lip as she took in the view that was being presented to her in that moment. "You're a very bad girl…Adler," he muttered to her in a slow and seductive tone.

He had loved it when Jane had addressed him by just his surname and he wondered whether it would have the same effect upon her. The grin upon her face as he spoke made him aware that perhaps it had done, "this is what you do to me," she told him as she tried to put into words how he made her feel, "I thought I'd outgrown the need to be wild, sexy and care-free when I had my kids. But it's clearly not left me, it's just lain dormant for years, and being with you seems to have reawakened it," she explained to him.

The silence between them was deafening as Sam seized the opportunity to put his wet shorts back on Jane wondered whether she had betrayed too much to him too soon. She needn't have worried though, because Sam soon spoke up in response to her confession, "I'm so pleased that I do that for you," he told her softly, "and I hope you know that I'm certainly not complaining about the reawakening of your wild-side."

Jane exhaled and released a breath that she hadn't realised she was holding; she was so relieved that her words had done nothing to freak him out because that hadn't been the intention at all. She found herself thinking, with some regularity, about how he made her feel and she wanted to spell it out for him. Not in a deeply explicit way just yet, but her words had been enough for Sam to realise that she thought a great deal of him already, he just hoped that he would get a chance to tell her in some roundabout way that he felt something similar for her too. His moment was to come sooner than he realised…

"I'm not either," Jane eventually said in response to his last words.

Sam smiled in her direction as he stepped towards her; he leant downwards and pressed his lips hungrily to hers, Jane readily responded to his advances by slowly parting her lips against his own. Sam wrapped his arms around her waist and he soon lifted her off the ground; Jane squealed in surprise against his lips as she willingly allowed him to guide her legs around his waist. She draped an arm over his shoulders and then stroked her free hand over his jawline as he carried her into the kitchen and through the house. Their passionate kiss continued as the two of them carried on up the stairs and onto the landing, Sam pushed open the door to the Master Bedroom and broke their kiss as he set her down in the middle of the king-size bed. He pulled back from Jane and set his gaze upon her, it was intense and Jane simply couldn't look away; she was so content in his presence but his gaze unnerved her ever so slightly, it looked like he was deep in thought about something. "What are you looking at?" she asked out of curiosity, laughing slightly at the intensity of Sam's stare.

"Just you," he admitted softly, pausing briefly as he thought about voicing the thought that had become so deeply rooted in his mind in those few moments that he had stared her down. He eventually decided to bite the bullet, voice it, and deal with any recriminations later, "can I tell you something Jane?" he asked her softly.

She nodded in response to his question, "course you can, you can tell me anything," she replied to him.

Sam's question had filled her with a small amount of trepidation which his continually intense gaze did nothing to dispel. He reached for her and cupped her cheek gently in the palm of his hand, his movement caused Jane's own breathing to become hitched in her throat but still Sam didn't speak, he remained silent for a few moments more as he decided how best to put his thoughts into words. Finally, he spoke, "I just wanted to say that I've really enjoyed spending time with you these past couple of days," he eventually told her, "I don't think I've ever enjoyed getting to know another woman as much as I have done you."

The implications that came attached to his words hung in the air like a thick fog between them and the deafening silence made Sam wonder whether he had perhaps said the wrong thing. He saw the tears welling up in Jane's eyes and this only confirmed his suspicions that perhaps in hadn't been the right time for her to hear that.

Jane appreciated Sam's words more than anything but at the same time, it just reminded her that their romantic interlude was going to end the next evening. She didn't want the time with Sam to end but she had commitments back home in Santa Barbara and she couldn't put them off for much longer, despite wanting to more than anything. "I feel the same," she quietly admitted to him, "being able to share this time with you has been amazing, but it's all going to change once I go home. How are we going to keep this up when I'm back home and you're in New York?"

Sam breathed a sigh of relief at the fact that his words hadn't freaked Jane out, but at least he understood the reason for her tears now. His thumb reached to wipe away her tears before he spoke again, "let's not talk about this now," he said to her, "if you still want to talk about what we're going to do, we can do that tomorrow. But for today, it's just the two of us, living in the here and now and enjoying the time we get to spend together, so no more tears, and no more sadness. Got that?"

Jane smiled at him, she knew they needed to have a serious talk about where their blossoming romance would go once she went back home but she agreed with him, that could wait until the next day. For the moment, she was prepared to lay her concerns about the state of play in their relationship to one side and enjoy the rest of the day with him. They would talk, she was of sure of that, just not that night…

She nodded towards Sam in recognition of his proposition, "I've got it," she confirmed to him eventually.

Sam smiled softly as he continued gaze down at her, "good," he concluded as he kissed her softly on the lips, bringing their conversation to an end. "You stay here, I'm going run a nice bubble bath and I'll come and get you once it's ready," he added as he rolled off of her and then climbed off the bed.

"Thank you," Jane murmured softly as she propped herself upright on an elbow as she watched Sam wander into the en-suite bathroom.

Sam poked his head back out into the Master Bedroom, "it's my pleasure," he told her softly, "I'll be back," he added as he withdrew his head and pulled the door to the en-suite shut, so he could prepare her bath.

Jane smiled to herself and sighed contentedly as she allowed the happenings of the past couple of days to envelope her completely. She knew she would leave New York the next evening with some incredible memories to treasure, most of them had been created with Sam and she would cherish them until the next time they were together. She profusely hoped that there would be a next time because she didn't want to lose what they had found in the past couple of days, and she hoped that he felt the same as well. Jane figured that their planned conversation the next day would clarify things in that regard.

She snapped out of her reverie of thoughts and sat up, she heard the taps running in the bathroom and got up from the bed. Jane left the bedroom and went downstairs to the kitchen, she was looking for some liquid refreshment to accompany the bath that Sam was drawing for her. She found a bottle of champagne in the door of the refrigerator and she pulled it out before setting it down upon the worktop. Jane also rummaged through the kitchen cupboards, eventually finding a couple of flutes in which to decant the sparkling liquid. In addition to the champagne, she had found a bag of ice cubes in the freezer compartment and slipped a couple into each of the glasses. Once she was done, Jane carried the glasses back upstairs to the Master Bedroom and set them up down upon the bedside table. She laid back again the soft pillows and shut her eyes, resting them until Sam came back through to call her; he emerged from the en-suite a few minutes later and leant over to press a soft kiss to her forehead, "the bath's ready when you are," he murmured softly to her. Jane opened her eyes and smiled up towards him as he saw the champagne flutes upon the bedside table, "champagne? What's the occasion?"

Jane sat up and shrugged her shoulders, "no special occasion, I just thought it'd be nice to have something to accompany our bath," she explained.

Sam smiled as he listened to her, "our bath?" he questioned.

Jane nodded, "that's if you want to join me," she told him, looking directly at him as she bit her lip in anticipation of his answer.

He grinned broadly at her as he contemplated an answer to her request; he had already turned her down once that day and changed his mind but there was no way he was going to turn her down this time, "I'm not going to turn you down for a second time today," he said to her.

"You changed your mind about turning me down earlier, so that doesn't count,"

Sam smiled and nodded his head, he'd let her have that one without too much of an argument, "let's go get in that bath then,"

Jane nodded her head and got off the king-size bed, passing Sam his glass of champagne before grasping his free hand in her own and leading him into the en-suite. The first thing that hit her as she entered was the scent of the bubble bath; it was lavender and one of her favourite scents, but Sam couldn't have known that, she couldn't recall telling him that she loved the smell of lavender more than almost anything else on the planet. The two of them put their glasses down upon the side of the tub and Sam stepped aside so that Jane could see the effort that he had gone to. The blinds had been closed so that the amount of natural sunlight that could shine thorough was kept to a minimum, he had found a few candles in the back of one of the cupboards and had dotted those around the bathroom before lighting them; the artificial light from the candles gave the room a warm, romantic glow and cast dark shadows upon the bathroom walls. Finally, Jane's gaze settled upon the tub itself, at least three-quarters full with water and beautiful bubbles, it warmed her heart to know that he had prepared this all for her, she could only assume that this was all part of his plan to give her a little downtime after a busy couple of days. "This is beautiful Sam, thank you," she said to him when she eventually found her voice.

"You don't need to thank me," he told her as she turned around and draped her arms over his shoulders.

Sam had noticed that she seemed to make a habit of doing that, but he certainly wasn't about to raise any objections to it at all, "I want to though," Jane insisted, "I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for me, and I just want you know how much I appreciate it."

He smiled as she spoke to him; he hadn't really expected to be thanked for what he had done for her, but Sam appreciated it all the same. Everything he had done for her in the past day or so had been done with a view to ensuring that Jane could take some time out to relax before she headed back West, to her busy life back in Santa Barbara. "I know," he told her simply a few moments later.

Jane's gaze met Sam's and she leant upwards, her lips landing upon his in a tender kiss. While their first kiss and been soft and lacking a little in passion, their second kiss more than made up for that as hours upon hours of built-up desire began to take over the pair of them. The two of them scrabbled frantically with the few garments they were still wearing as their frenzy of kisses grew increasingly intense and passionate. Sam broke the kiss once the pair of them were fully undressed and he spun Jane around so that she had her back to him before pulling her back into his body. Jane's eyes rolled in pleasure and a low groan emanated from her lips as she felt Sam's erection pressing against the soft and feminine curve of her backside. "How long have you been concealing that for?" she gasped as she reached in between their bodies and playfully began to stroke over his already apparent erection.

Sam gasped against her shoulder as he felt her soft fingers stroking him down below, he planted an array of kisses over her neck and then her throat in an effort to force himself to focus on something other than what Jane was currently doing to him, "long enough," he murmured against her shoulder.

Jane gasped again in response to his words and Sam smirked against her as he heard her reaction; right now, he couldn't have been more turned-on by her if he tried. His hands soon moved from her waist, where he had been holding her body against him, and soon stroked over her stomach before reaching her breasts. He took each of them in hand, caressing them softly and his movements soon prompted Jane to withdraw her touch from him. "I was enjoying that," Sam muttered, almost grumpily against her neck as he kissed her there once more.

Jane smirked to herself as she heard him, "I'm sure you were, but if we carry on anymore, I don't think we'll make it into the bath," she admitted, "you've gone to so much effort to prepare this, and I don't want your efforts to have been for nothing."

Sam was slightly disappointed that she had, albeit temporarily, dampened the erotic mood that had descended between them but at the same time, he did see her point; he had prepared the bath for her and he wanted her to be able to enjoy it, and she wouldn't if the water was cold before they got in. He stepped away from her and Jane immediately missed the intimacy of feeling his body against her own; she watched him step into the bathtub and unashamedly checked him out, not bothering to disguise what she was doing because she knew Sam would find her out in the end. Ever the chivalrous gent, Sam held out his hand to Jane once he was in the tub so that he could help her in too. Jane took the hand he offered her and climbed into the bathtub with him, Sam sat himself down and gently pulled Jane down to join him. He parted his legs so that Jane could settle herself in between them, she exhaled a contented sigh as she settled herself against his chest. "Mmmm, this is perfect," she murmured softly as she reached for her glass of champagne upon the side of the bathtub.

Sam smiled behind her and swept her blond hair to one side and pressed a soft and tender kiss to her neck before he responded to her words, "it really is," he agreed with her, "just the two of us, in our own world."

Jane nodded against him in reply, silence fell between as they both savoured the peace and tranquillity that the beach-house afforded the two of them. The two of them sipped their champagne as their free hands wandered lazily over the body of the other, familiarising themselves with the contours and committing them to memory. Sam draped his left arm over Jane's shoulder so that his hand came to rest upon her stomach and she smiled as she felt Sam's hand resting there. He plucked an ice cube from his glass of champagne and held it between the thumb and index finger upon his left hand, Jane could see what he was doing and she began to wonder what he intended to do with the ice cube in his hand. Sam's intention soon became clear as he traced the cold ice cube across her shoulder, he felt Jane's body stiffen slightly against him in response to his movements but he persevered as he trailed the cold cube down to her chest before eventually reaching one of the places where he wanted to direct his attention the most. He paused briefly in his ministrations before he moved the ice cube over her breast, gently pressing it down onto her nipple. Jane gasped out loud and tilted her head against his shoulder, enjoying the contrast between the cold ice cube and the combined heat of their warm bodies and the bath. Sam smirked to himself, sensing that his movements were beginning to have the effect upon her that he desired. He trailed the cold cube across to her other breast once he was satisfied that the combined stimulation of his fingers and the ice cube had hardened her nipple to a satisfactory extent. He then carried out a similar stimulation there and heard Jane's pleasured gasps in response to her movements once more, her gasps soon evolved into groans as she felt his erection beginning to press against her once more. "Hmmm, you love this, don't you?" Jane eventually managed to gasp out as Sam moved the now almost-melted ice cube over her stomach, tracing tantalising circles there before reaching the foamy surface of the bathwater.

"Not as much as you, clearly," he teased her softly as the last of the ice cube melted away between his index finger and his thumb.

"Mmmm, I might have to disagree on that one," Jane responded just as teasingly as she removed Sam's hand from where it had been draped over her body.

He was ever so slightly confused by her actions but that was soon alleviated as she changed her positioning in their bath and for the first time since the two of them had got in, she faced him. He watched as she climbed onto his lap and straddled him; Jane smirked seductively as she looked down upon him, secretly loving the power that she held over Sam at that moment as she set her gaze upon him. Sam's gaze was upon her too, he could see the arousal apparent in her eyes and he knew that there was only one way this encounter was going to go…

Beneath her, Sam could do absolutely nothing and that thrilled Jane; he had done his fair share of teasing her since they had got into the bathtub, now it was her turn to tease him for a bit…

Eventually, Jane made her move on him. She reached for Sam, cupping his cheeks and jaw in her hands all at once before edging closer to him. Her lips finally landed upon his as she kissed him; Jane started off gently but their kisses never seemed to stay that way for long, and this one was certainly no different. Sam parted his lips against Jane's and she was quick to respond by mimicking his movements, she groaned softly as she felt his tongue swiping smoothly over her bottom lip before finally meeting her own. Their kiss continued as Jane stroked over his slightly stubbled chin before allowing her fingers to trail downwards over his chest. She wriggled a hand in between their bodies and broke the water surface, groping beneath the bubbles for her target. Jane's lips curved upwards and into a smirk as her hand closed around his erection. Sam gasped in surprise as he felt her touch down below and she felt him grow in her hand; Jane too gasped against Sam's lips as she felt her own body beginning to react to her teasing ministrations. For the moment though, she ignored the feeling of arousal continuing to build within her, for that particular moment however, it was Sam's turn to be in on the receiving end of a little bit of foreplay, for a change.

Jane pulled back slightly, breaking the kiss and fixing her gaze upon Sam. She carried on her ministrations, stroking his erection up and then down, alternating the pace between fast and slow. She heard Sam's breathing becoming hitched beneath her and she could it feel it against her cheek, it empowered her to know that she could cause such a reaction so quickly. Jane's movements against him were driving him wild, and his feverish, breathless gasps against her were enough to confirm that to her. Her own feelings of arousal were becoming more and more difficult to ignore, her ministrations coupled together Sam's foreplay with the ice cube had left her feeling pretty turned-on and she knew she wasn't going to be able to stand this much longer. Despite that, Jane's hand still continued to work his erection; Sam's gasps were gradually becoming more frequent and it only served to make her aware that she was drawing him closer and closer to the point of release. She smirked to herself as she heard him and moments later, she withdrew her touch and the speed at which she did so surprised Sam just a little bit. He looked up at her, almost stunned that it appeared that she wasn't going to finish him off, "why did you stop?" he asked her breathlessly, "I was so close."

Jane smirked as she saw the almost pleading look in his eyes, she leant forwards and pressed a single kiss to his lips before pulling away. Then, she answered him, "I know you were," she told him softly, "it's not just you that needs a release."

Jane's words came as no surprise to Sam but he was ever so slightly stunned to hear them come from her. It seemed that being up-front about what she wanted was a bit of a trait of hers and Sam admired that, especially in a woman, or more specifically, her. He couldn't deny her that final and most complete level of intimacy, the feeling of ecstasy that seemed to overcome him after being brought to a climax by her was unlike any feeling he'd experienced with anyone else, it simply blew his mind. "I should hope not," Sam teased her, "because I'd hate to think that you aren't as turned on by me as I am by you."

Jane grinned at him as she shuffled back against him, running her hand briefly through her blond hair, "you know that's not the case," she assured him.

Upon communicating her words to him, Jane got herself back into position against him and Sam immediately reached out to wrap his arms around her waist. She braced one hand against his shoulder and with her other hand, she reached beneath the water to search once again for her target. Jane soon found it and she raised her hips to meet him before gently lowering herself onto the tip of his erection; she soon began to ease herself down onto him, gasping out loud and tightening her grip upon his shoulder as he filled her. Sam was close, but he employed the use of every bit of self-control he possessed in order to hold himself back; he wanted her to experience the exultant high of her climax first before he allowed her to then feel his. For several moments after the initial penetration, Jane didn't move above him as she allowed herself to become acclimatised to the exquisite sensation that he seemed to instil within her. Once she was ready, Jane leant towards him, cupping his cheeks and jaw in the same manner that she had done earlier. Her lips eventually landed upon his and she instigated a passionate kiss, pairing her kiss with the commencement of her movements against him. Jane began to rock her hips against him and quickly increased the speed of her movements, the earlier foreplay the two of them had indulged in had been enough of an appetiser for this so she didn't see the need to start off slow. Her movements against Sam caused the bathwater to slop against the side, eventually rising too high and spilling out and onto the tiled floor. Neither Sam nor Jane took any notice of that, they were too invested in the moment, and each other, to really care where the water was going. Jane broke their passionate exchange of kisses once more, she pulled back and fixed her gaze upon him; her movements upon him continued and watching Sam take everything she had to give him was particularly powerful for her. To Jane, it signified that while he was sometimes content to be in control, he was equally content to give over control to his partner when the moment presented itself, this was that moment in question. "God, "I'm so close baby," Sam muttered to Jane as her hips continued their movements against him.

Jane nodded her head in acknowledgement as she braced both hands upon Sam's shoulders, "me too," she managed to gasp out to him.

Sam's lips found her neck and Jane closed her eyes as she felt him kiss her there while she continued to move her hips against him. She wanted to savour the moment and cement it in her mind as a memory to cherish when they were forced to part. Sam too had shut his eyes as he kissed over her neck, he knew that if he was to so much as look up and see the look of arousal and ecstasy that was clearly painted upon her face, he'd end up releasing his own climax before he wanted to. Jane's sudden cry out loud caused Sam to open his eyes and fix his gaze upon her; he wanted to watch her climax engulf her completely. Her body began to shudder above him and her climax soon began to overcome her, the movements of her lower body soon coaxed Sam's own climax from him, he couldn't hold back any longer. He ejaculated within her and Jane's movements began to slow down before her body became still above him. She opened her eyes and looked down upon him, her chest was rising and falling pretty rapidly as she tried to draw in her breath, but Sam wouldn't have changed that moment for anything; her hair was messy and sticking to her face, her chest was still rising and falling as Jane still tried to get her breath back but to him, she still looked beautiful. "Wow, I think we got a bit carried away there," she finally stated once she'd sufficiently recovered.

Sam watched her softly bite her lip as a slight blush crept across her cheeks, he found that so adorable. "You won't hear a word of complaint from me," he teased her in response.

Jane smirked at him, "me neither, but the water's cold now."

Sam leant forwards and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, "we'd better get out then," he told her, "I'm not going to be blamed if you catch a cold."

Jane laughed and nodded her head as Sam pulled back from her, helping her to her feet before getting up and out himself. He reached into the bathroom cabinet and pulled out two towels, passing one over to Jane as she too climbed out of the bathtub. She took the towel that Sam had offered her and she slowly and gently dried herself off, her gaze began to wander however as he threw the towel into the laundry basket in the corner and walked out into the bedroom stark naked. Jane couldn't help herself, she wrapped the towel around herself and stood in the bathroom doorway, watching as Sam bent over the chest of drawers and pulled out a pair of clean chinos. She was no fool, Sam was a good-looking guy and she was well aware that the sight before her eyes was one many women would want to be a party to. Like everything about these past couple of days with Sam, she savoured the moment, knowing that the memories they had created together would keep her going beyond tomorrow when they were forced to part ways. Their paths would cross again, of that, she had absolutely no doubt.


End file.
